Letters to a Lost Nation

IRAN - Not Quite The Land Of The Free - But Definitely The Home Of The Brave

2009-07-06T14:55:00.000-07:00

July 6th, 2009

My Dear America:

As I sit at my computer at the end of my Long Weekend Celebration of the Fourth of July I remain, as always, Happy, Proud and Lucky to be an American. The fireworks were great and sitting around a pool with my family members was great and I am grateful for the time that I have had this weekend in the Land Of The Free. I admit that I am as guilty as anyone else when it comes to taking for granted the benefits of living in America. That was brought home to me forcefully when in the month of June Iran had an election.

The results of Iran's election for President was questionable at best and brutal and savage highway robbery of voting rights and human rights, at worst.

Just weeks after American President Barack Obama reached out to Middle Eastern and Islamic Citizens everywhere in the world through his speech in Cairo, Egypt, Iranian citizens went to the polls in droves and staged pre election rallies that looked like nothing that had ever been seen before in this country that had stirred the ire of freedom lovers everywhere.

"Bomb, Bomb, Bomb, Bomb, Bomb Iran", John McCain had sung during the Presidential Campaign mocking the Jan and Dean and Beach Boys song, "Barbara Ann".

McCain, George Bush and Dick Cheney were all on the same page when it came to Iran. Never mind that they never finished what they had started in Afghanistan and Iraq. Not only didn't they finish what they started, they had turned both Afghanistan and Iraq into terrorist magnets and made what seemed like wrong moves at every juncture.

Following Bush and Cheney's disastrous entry into Iraq and Afghanistan the dynamic duo started taunting Iran. Just what we needed no wins in two countries was not enough, BC & Company started talking like they were going to invade Iran, as well. And they had some degree of support prior to the American Elections in November of 2008. Luckilly for us Bush and Cheney were shown the door before they could throw more gasoline on the Middle East Fires they had started.

And in June, 2009 the Iranian electorate prepared to show the door to their hard line holocaust denying President but instead the even harder line Islamic powers behind the scenes in Iran slammed the door to freedom on the progressive mainly young peoples movement in Iran.

At first it looked like a real election with polls set up for all Iranians to have their chance to vote. But clearly something went wrong in Iran as the hard liners were taken aback and the new freedom fighters, who recognized how badly they had been shafted hit the streets of Tehran in protests that were stunning. They were, at first, broadcast all over the world by CNN and other networks while Iranian Television gave no coverage to the protest in the streets. Blogs, Facebook and Twitter at first stoked the flames of freedom in the streets of Tehran. To those of us watching it in America, it looked as though the Candidate of the people, Mousavi, might actually be installed as President of Iran. But that was not to be, at least not in the immediate future.

Although at first Mousavi seemed to be given a free hand in setting up protests and rallys that freedom of assembly didn't last long. The more control Iranian officials had on the media the less they played their hand. But after about a week of protests it was clear to anyone watching that the rulling Ayatollah's were getting ready to rid the streets of Tehran of the stink of Freedom. Clearly if Freedom truly came to Iran the days of the Ayatollah's calling the shots were numbered. So the men of God, the followers of Allah, began a crackdown of epic proportions.

When the protests broke out after the election results were certified by the Ayatollahs, President Obama's reactions were measured and hopeful. His measured and thoughtful reactions to the crisis in Iran were criticized by John "Bomb Bomb Iran" McCain and Lindsay Graham, among other mainly Republican critics of the President.

Clearly at the beginning of the protests Obama getting involved in telling Iranaian authorities what to do is exactly what the powers that be in Iran wanted. When confronted at a news conference by a reporter's question regarding the Republicans, McCain and Graham, charging Barack with being timid in his response to the crisis Barack stated that

"I am the President and they are not"

In Obama's defense, as the violence in the brutal crackdown on Iranian protestors has escalated so has Barack Obama's condemnation of the Iranian government's vicious attack on their freedom loving countrymen. Although some word continued to get out through social networking sites, Twitter and phone cameras sent videos to CNN too violently graphic to broadcast, the Iranian regime stamped out the protests with incredible violence such as shooting innocent people who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and even hatcheting incidents and human beings thrown off bridges and brutally attacked in their homes.

As CNN found it harder and harder to find appropriate broadcast videos suddenly word came that Michael Jackson had died and from then on all that could be seen on the 24 hour News Channels were all things Michael Jackson. So as the King of Pop has taken over our TV screens it seems as though we who are free have forgotten about those Freedom Loving Brave Individuals who, for a couple of brief weeks actually were free.

As we move on through our lives in the new Post Michael Jackson world I hope we never forget the King of POP and I am even more hopeful that we will keep in mind the thousands of Brave Iranians who put their lives on the line to protect their votes and their freedom. They may not still be on the evening news but they are out there in that dark country shouded in mystery working toward the freedom that we take for granted in America every day of our lives.

Let us never forget their courage as they showed us how much like us they really are.

And if John McCain once again sings "Bomb Bomb Iran" lets keep in mind just who we will be bombing and never sing that song again.

Unless its Barbara Ann and The Beach Boys or Jan and Dean are singing it on the radio.

Sincerely Yours

Jerry Gallagher

D Day, June 6th, 2009 - 65 Years later

2009-06-06T14:31:00.000-07:00

June 6th, 2009

My Dear America:

On this day, June 6th, 65 years ago, Allied troops, mainly American, British and Canadian soldiers, sailed across the English channel to France. By this point France had been occupied by German soldiers, who had fortified the French coast in preparation for the assault that they knew was bound to come. By the time D Day finally arrived Europe was almost completely under the control of Hitler's forces. D Day saw thousands of allied troops brutally cut down on the shores of France before they even had a chance to get off the sandy French beaches.

This morning American President Barack Obama, Prince Charles and Prime Minister Gordon Brown of Great Britain and Prime Minister Harper of Canada met with French President Sarkozy on the French fields of Normandy that were the last resting place of so many allied freedom fighters. The leaders of the allied countries today celebrated the fallen heroes of Word War II.

The speeches given by the leaders of the Free World Countries on this day celebrated the courage and determination that was shown on D Day. Just prior to today's D Day celebration President Obama, with Germany's President Merkel and Jewish Author, Ellie Wiesel, visited the site of the Buchenwald Death Camp, where countless Jews were tortured and murdered by the soldiers of Germany's Third Reich.

Also this week was another speech given by President Obama in Cairo, Egypt, in which he mainly addressed his comments to the Muslim and Arab World. President Obama pointed out that Muslims and Americans and Europeans have much more in common than is often recognized. This speech seems to have been well received all over the world.

At Buchenwald Obama, after his remarks, turned the podium over to Ellie Wiesel who had been rescued by Allied Troops from this place in an era long past. President Obama personally invited Wiesel to accompany the President on the Buchenwald trip. Although Wiesel was not officially scheduled to speak on this occasion his heartfelt rememberance of his life in this German Hell on Earth will probably be the major speech that will be remembered from this German stop on Obama's trip.

At Normandy on D Day Sarkozy, Brown, Harper and Obama all gave great speeches that will be well remembered. But Wiesel's personal recollections of the reality of man's inhumanity to man will be the hardest speech to forget in this entire Presidential trip.

65 years down the line from D Day and the Normandy Invasion it is easy for Americans and others in the free world to forget the Terrorist Nations including the Nazi's and Hitler in Germany, Mussolini in Italy and Hitrohito in Japan. It took the American people the horror of Pearl Harbor to finally sit up and take notice of what was happening in the world. The true Axis of Evil, Germany, Italy and Japan were quickly takng over the known world and were cruelly and brutally exercising their killer instincts on those who opposed them or those who did not necessarily oppose them but who they didn't like. It was not only the Jews who the Nazi's targeted for extinction in their Death Camps. Hitler didn't like the gypsys or the handicapped either. They, along with the Jews, did not belong in Hitler's concept of German perfection of the Master Race.

Year by year we lose more and more of our brave World War II Veterans who came back to our country after their service and became regular citizens of America. They have, for the most part, not been the kind of people who stood out in a crowd. They have been the kind of people who blended in with the crowd. They have been our Fathers, Grandfathers, Uncles, Brothers and Husbands. They have lived among us for 65 years, occasionally doing something special but mostly being the kind of people who didn't have much to say about politics, although if you engaged them in conversations you tended to find out just how knowlegable and special they really were. They seemed like simple people but they were not. Although many of them did not necessarily have personal visions of horror from the Front, they all knew other soldiers who had found out the hard way just how much had to be sacrificed for the Free World to remain free. They worked hard at their jobs hopping for the days when they could retire and fish or just take it easy. They asked very little from us and they almost never bragged about their service.

In Fact, they almost never even talked about their service and were often times embarassed when others talked about it. They were the Greatest Generation and they never demanded much in the way of anything from us. They just did their job and if they were lucky enough to come back alive they lived their lives among us with an appreciation of freedom that many of us can never understand.

They were just regular soldiers doing their job. Thats all they have to say when thanked for their service. But the truth is that Hitlers Soldiers and Mussolini's and Hirohito's soldiers were all doing their jobs too. Why were German soldiers able to carry out the horrors of the Third Reich. The truth is that they truly were, like soldiers before them since the beginning of time, truly just carrying out orders because that's what soldiers do and have done since the first solier of history marched upon the field of battle. The German, Italian and Japanese soldiers should probably have questioned the lunacy of cruelty in battle or agaist civillians who did not desrve to die. Thank goodness that our leaders, especially Roosevelt and Churchill, were the right leaders for this extremely important time in world history. Certainly the hands of all soldiers are not clean in the epic struggle of the invasion of Nomandy and the defeat of Hitler, Mussolini and Hirohito. No war has ever been fought by people who were unwilling to kill. Death and War go together like mashed potatos and gravy. When you are a soldier and your back is to the wall and it's kill of be killed, you kill. But freedom's soldiers have learned over the years that killing should only be done when it is a last resort and as soldier has no other choice. Our soldiers, mainly a volunteer army in World War II, had no choice but to do what they did. They went to war with the knowlege that they might not come back from the experience and many thousands of them didn't return home alive. We owe these brave people, our brave veterans, everything. We certainly owe them respect and appreciation. Without them Hitler and others like him could have turned the world into a world filled with Death Camps like Aushwitz or Buchenwald. The brave soldiers of World War II allies kept that from happening to US.

On this 65th Anniversary of the salvation of the free world we salute our veterans for their valor and their sacrifice and we tell them truthfully just how much we love them and respect them and appreciate what they have done for every one of us who live in freedom in the new millenium.

Their sacrifices will not be forgotten and History will never let us forget just how important their sacrifice was.

We need to learn from experience in 2009 that in a very short period of time hatred and insanity can threaten and destroy our world just as easlity today as it almost did 65 years ago.

Help Me, I'm a Republican - Get Me Out of Here - A New Reality Show

2009-05-25T13:03:00.000-07:00

May 25th, 2009

My Dear America:

We have all heard, I am sure, of the new Television Reality Series called "I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here", in which (so called) celebrities go the Survivor Route in South America for the possibility of Big Bucks. We have all heard of this show because disgraced Illinois Governor was trying to get permission to leave the country to be on it.

He failed to get the permission to go himself but Bum Rod, being the ever intense self promotor that he is, finally convinced his wife to go and suffer the humiliations and degradations of the South American Jungle in his stead, while Rod watches the kids and the show in the comfort of his Chicago home. If I were Mrs. Blogoevich, I would stay home and divorce my husband and try to get my share early of Rod Blogoevich's big money book deal.

Anyway, to get to the main purpose of this rant, I have my own projected version of this TV Reality Series that I want to call the following:

"HELP ME, I'M A REPUBLICAN - GET ME OUT OF HERE"

I think, America, that you can already see the purpose and the potential of this Reality Show. The purpose of the show will be to show that Moderate Republicans are no longer welcome into what is left of the Mainstream Republican Party. We have seen Moderates leaving the party in droves for several years as they watched their party become more Extreme and unwelcoming to them on each passing day. Those who did stay did what they had to do in order to maintain membership in the party and became more extreme to the point where they left politics or, like Arlen Specter, moved to the other side of the aisle.

Specter is a fascinating case. He has led a very interesting public life. As a young lawyer he was the staffer on the Warren Commission Investigation of the Assasination of President John Kennedy who came up with the "One Bullet Therory", which supposedly explained how one bullet could have hit both President Kennedy and Texas Governor John Connally, who rode in the front seat of the President's car in the November 22, 1963 Dallas Motorcade. This Theory has been discredited by many Warren Commission Critics but Specter marched on in his political career to being District Attorney in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After a rather successful run in Philly, Specter then ran for Senator from Pennsylvania and has been in that position for many years. Recently Specter switched from being a Republican Senator to being a Democratic one. It was not the first time that Specter switched parties in his political career but it was a stunning blow to Republicans and seemingly a welcome switch to President Obama and Democratic Party Pros in Pennsylvania. Anyway, Specter's recent votes have not seemed very Democratic and time will tell what will happen in the 2010 Pennsylvania U.S. Senate Primary. My guess is that although there will be a scuffle in the Pennsylvania Democratic Party that eventually Specter will be the Democratic Nominee and the likely winner of United States Senate seat he has held for many years.

Lets forget about Specter, Hagle and the many many moderate Republicans who have been run out of their party. Lets get back to my premise of a Republican Reality Show that I want to call:

THE MOST DESPICABLE REPUBLICAN

This show has got everything that makes a Reality show interesting enough to be a ratings grabber. There is a large cast of backbiting, intensely dislikable real life characters, each one looking to slice up the other ones in their bloodthirsty quest for dishonor and fame.

Certainly in this Reality Show along with Specter's departure we need to jettison that last of the Republican Moderates still left in the Republican Party, Colin Powell. Along with Colin, out go the two Moderate Republican Women Senators, who had the nerve to, along with Specter, support President Obama's Stimulus package.

That pretty much cleans the Republican Household of moderates, although there may be some sneakily hiding out in the House of Representatives disguised as Extreme Republicans.

Now, as we get down to the real drama of figuring out who, indeed, is The Most Despicable Republican of all who are left, the pickings are far from slim.

We can't pick Rush Limbaugh only because he has publicly resigned from the Republican Party. I guess he resigned because his party still wasn't extreme enough for him.

What a loss.

He would certainly have been my choice for winner of Most Despicable Republican.

Certainly one of my picks for Most Despicable Republican would be and is Dick Cheney. His Nationwide search continues for finding opportunities to defend torture and to damage the Obama Administration's efforts to heal the worldwide wounds caused by the Cheney-Bush Administation.

At least Bush has the good sense to keep his mouth shut.

Then again when you are talking about Despicable Republicans you cannot avoid the man who started a needless War in Iraq and deregulated you, America, into the economic toilet. When you talk about Despicable Republicans you can't avoid including George W. Bush.

But while we can look through the Congress and elsewhere across America to find Despicable Republicans and God knows they are everywhere (Hannity, O'Reilly and pretty much everybody you can find at Fox News) there is no Republican in my book as despicable as Newt Gingrich. Newt Gingrich wakes up every day and looks at his odd features in the mirror and says to himself:

"Why can't I be President"?

The answer to that disturbing question is because, Newt, to be President you should have at least some redeeming qualities. You, Newt, have an awful name, awful stage presence and self interest that has nearly destroyed this country in the past and if brought back into play, surely will destroy this country in the future.

You led the effort to stop the government from working by keeping it from having a budget during the Clinton years. You led the charge to impeach Bill Clinton for lying about his affair while you were doing the same thing and you told your wife you were divorcing her for your new love while she was in the hospital dying of cancer.

But despite these solid reasons for Newt Gingrich to stay out of the political arena, he continues to slither back in on Fox News and elsewhere on television and radio as a spokesman for the party that he almost singlehandedly, with the assistance of George Bush and Dick Cheney, led to ruin. Gingrich is increasingly talking more and more like a man who knows what he is doing and may be thinking about running for President. God Forbid.

Newt's latest victim of slander is the person who holds the same job Newt did during much of the Clinton Era, Speaker of The House, Nancy Pelosi, who he accuses of lying about whether or not she was advised by the CIA that they were using waterboarding on terror suspects. She claims she was not told that. Newt says she is lying.

Who is this guy kidding? According to him the CIA never lied to her. The CIA lies for a living and so does Newt Gingrich, who left the job that Nancy Pelosi now has because he was censured by the Congress for ethics violations. Now he is the protector of the Truth. PLEASE.

The truth is, however, the Republicans have no one else to promote as a Presidential Candidate in 2012. They have driven nearly every decent Republican Politician either out of the party or into hiding.

Maybe Mitt Romney can move to some further extremes and maybe some fools might go for Rudy Giuliani but that's pretty doubtful. Lousisiana Governor Bobby Jindal made the mistake of opening his mouth too early and showing you, America, that there was not much going on in that head of his. Tim Pawlenty and others like Sarah Palin, YIKES. The truth is that anyone with any brains in the Republican Party will see that Barack Obama's appeal seems to be lasting and despite some supporters being unhappy with some of his moves they still like Obama, the Person and the President.

So the bottom line is that despite which Despicable Republicans gut and slash each other for the privilege of going up against Obama, only someone in the Republican Party whose negatives are few and who is a virtual unknown at this point in time can get the Republican Presidential nod with any chance of succeeding against Barack Obama.

Looks like an 8 Year Term for Obama as far as I can see. And to those Republicans out there who continue to slice and dice each other I say:

"Keep Up the Good Work Boys and Girls"

Sincerely Yours

Jerry Gallagher

The Bonus - Bailout Mystery of AIG

2009-03-19T13:14:00.000-07:00

March 19th, 2009

My Dear America:

The incredible Saga of the massive bonuses given to AIG Executives with our taxpayer bail out money continues unabated. It seems as though every day there is someone new for the press to villify and condemn for this Outrageous Scandal.

First it was Edward Liddy, the CEO who saw it as his civic duty to come back to AIG, where he had retired from, for a salary of $1.00 a year. I would feel sorry for this guy except that I know if he is working for a buck a year he already has stashed away enough dough to keep him in a lavish lifestyle for the rest of his life.

I watched Liddy on Television yesterday at a hearing for the Congressional Finances Committee. He didn't seem like a bad guy. He had the look of a Robber Baron but under what intense criticism I could take before I fell asleep realizing that despite its importance to me and my family I just really have a hard time understanding what it is that has been going on with Wall Street. What really gets me is all these Republican Senators and Congressmen who are suddenly portraying themselves as saviors of taxpayer money even though they voted for legislation signed by George W. Bush that set up the present system, in which up to now Wall Streeters almost had no way to lose money. A young lady testifying before the Financial Committee yesterday said something that I could understand and which I thiink is a great clue to the problems that we are dealing with at the present time. She was with one of the financial regulation agencies of the United States Government and she indicated that although her agency was initially permitted to regulate Wall Steet banks and other institutions, that permission was taken away from her agency by the Bush Era Republican controlled Congress. Dick Cheny in an recent interview indicated that the Bush Administration should take no responsibility for the Wall Street Mess.

Another bad guy in the recent Bonus - Bailout Mystery of AIG is Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner. I think Barack Obama was truthful when he said that this guy is working harder than anybody to solve the AIG problem. What seems to have been coming out the past couple of days, though, is that Geithner or someone from the Obama Financial team asked Senate Banking Committee Chariman, Chris Dodd, to take a provision out of the stimulus legislation which would have kept million dollar bonuses from being paid with taxpaer money given to firms like AIG through the TARP (Troubled Assets Recovery Program) funds.

So now, today, all over the 24 hour cable news networks Chris Dodd seems to be the AIG Villain of the Day.

I must confess that although I was initially in favor of bailing out Wall Street to Save Main Street, I think that this heartless episode of Greed Unlimited should teach us once and for all that what we are saving in our financial system is not worth saving. I hope that we are going to be smart enough to change our legislation to protect ourselves from future Wall shafting by those firms that we have saved only to screw us over and over again. The U.S. financial spigot needs to be turned off for any firm that we gave money to and which, in turn, gave our money out like candy in monstrous bonuses to their employees.

I realize that Wall Street Banks and Corporations have their Super Greedy ways of doing things but they need to learn what the American Taxpayer has learned.

The time has come for them to live within their means or else take the consequences.

Sincerely Yours

Jerry Gallagher

Letters To A Lost Nation - After The Spectacular Election of 2008 The Blog Continues On

2009-02-28T16:59:00.000-08:00

February 28th, 2009

My Dear America:

It may seem as though I have been away on vacation but it doesn't seem like that to me. I apologize to those of you who have been supportive of the Blog but I have had some things to do between my last posting in January of 2009 and February 28th, 2009.

One thing that I have been doing is to try to put my 2008 -2009 Blog Postings into a manuscript with the intent of selling it as a book. I realize that this may be a pipe dream but pipe dreams need to live too. I have put together a semi literate, semi publishable manuscript but I do not have a Literary Agent or a Publisher lined up so we will see where things lead with this.

I have also been putting in some time thinking about what my next move will be regarding the Blog. When I stumbled upon Blogspot in January, 2008 and set the Blog up, I was thinking about the 2008 Election Story as the only topic or, at least the main topic for discussion in the Blog. Now that the Election of 2008 is over and its winner is in the White House, I have had to give some thought to where I was going and what I was going to do with this Blog. Although it has certainly been a lot of fun to write this Blog through one of the most incredibly interesting American Election Campaigns that has ever been, it has also been somewhat time consuming and stressful, as well.

So, the question is, or at least has been, Where do we go from here with Letters To A Lost Nation. The answer I have chosen is that although I am not sure of how much time and energy I can put into the Blog, that here in the early days of the Obama Administration there is no shortage of topics to be discussed and issues to be considered.

So for now the answer to the question about the future of Letters To A Lost Nation is that it will continue for the present time.

At a time when newspapers and financial pages in those newspapers that are left, are disappearing at an alarming rate, it is not the time for dissonant voices to go silent. My suggestion is that everybody with a computer and an opinion get to Blogspot and write your own columns about what you feel you need to say about our country and our world. It is time for all of us, America, to realize that we are in serious trouble and unless we all get out there and make some noise about how we feel, we could end up with another tone deaf Republican Administration like the one we just had, or worse.

Our Economy is a shambles. We are still involved in Iraq and are ratcheting up our military involvement in Afghanistan and Pakistan. China is letting us know how much in debt we are to them. Guantanamo will be closing but we don't seem to be as anxious to close other hell hole prisons elsewhere in the world. We are moving forward just by having Obama, rather than McCain in the White House, but we need to continue to remember that in America we are free to tell each other and our politicians just what we think.

I plan to continue doing just that.

Thank you all for your support.

Sincerely Yours

Jerry Gallagher

EPILOG - Letters To A Lost Nation - The Triumph of Barack Obama - The Next Chapter

2009-01-27T16:50:00.000-08:00

January 26th, 2009

My Dear America:

It is a week after the Inauguration of Barack Obama to be The President Of The United States. Barack has hit the ground running and has already begun the process of change in our country. He has started the process of closing the Guantanamo Bay Torture and Humiliation Center. He has also begun the process of reaching out the hand of friendship to countries like Iran and has even done a filmed interview with the El Arabiya Television network. He is pushing hard to have his 825 Billion Dollar Stimulus Package approved by the United States Congress as soon as humanly possible. He has taken the forward looking step of traveling across town to jawbone personally with hesitant Republican legislators in favor of the massive spending bill. He is doing what he can but the hard truth is he has problems to deal with that are just as massive as his Stimulus Bill. Some problems he can deal with quickly but there are certainly problems that are going to take a long time to deal with if, indeed, they can be dealt with at all.

While he has incredibly difficult problems of all kinds to deal with he now has to deal with Right Wing Loudmouth Talk Show Hosts like Rush Limbaugh, who has made the statement that he wants Barack Obama to fail. Rush is out there by himself right now looking like a jackass but I am sure that he won't be out there alone for long. Rush has nothing to lose by making incredibly controversial statements like that. He might lose some Republican fans who have come over from the Dark Side to spend some time loving their Country, Right or Left. Outside of that, however, Rush may love to be driven off the air by hostile lefties and go out in a blaze of Right Wing Glory retiring to Florida where he can spend some his hundreds of millions on his favorite drugs. But as incendiary as Rush Limbaugh tends to be, he needs to be left on the air unless, of course, he is arrested for illegal drug possesion again. But if he is not arrested for drugs he needs to be left alone in his padded radio booth ranting on as if he knew what he was talking about. Yes, Rush Limbaugh is a senseless lunatic but he is free, rich, white and on the air in America. What that means is that just like I have certain protections regarding what I can write and say, so does Rush Limbaugh. its tough sometimes to be free but we all must remember that it is much tougher not to be free.

At this point in our nation's history when Barack Obama dominates the news not only in our country but also in every country of the world, it is surely true, as Dee Dee Myers has writen in Vanity Fair Magazine, that Barack Obama is the Most Famous Person of all time. Surely that seems like a stretch, at first, but is it really. Anyone in the world who owns a television or a radio or has access to newspapers surely already knows who Barack Obama is. If they don't know who Obama is chances are that sometime in the near future they will know.

This Super Celebrity may be in some ways a deficit but in other ways it is surely an asset that Obama can use to sway public opinion not only in his own country but in almost every country of the world. This man who only five years ago was a political unknown outside of Illinois, arrived at the Boston Democratic Convention in 2004 and after his incredible keynote address left Boston with the reputation as a politician who was going places. He was a relatively young man when he was elected Junior Senator from Illinois and it was anticipated by many Democrats, myself among them, that he would wait his turn and get some seasoning in the United States Senate before making a run for President. Once elected to the Senate Obama quickly became one of the most sought after speakers by Democratic Candidates all over your country. When Obama came to town to stump for a candidate like Bob Casey in Pennsylvania that candidate was almost guaranteed an overflow crowd of excited potential voters. Consequently, many Democratic candidates like Casey and many others were elected in a Democratic landslide in 2006 which turned the balance of power in the United States House of Representatives over to the Democrats for the first time in many years.

Certainly there were other factors which led to the Democratic rout of Republicans in the 2006 Congressional Elections but one factor was inescapable to Democrats. Barack Obama had proved to the Democratic Party and to you, America, that he was more than just a flash in the pan Democratic superstar whose flame would burn out quickly. When he made his now famous Springfield, Illinois speech declaring his candidacy for The Presidency of The United States few seasoned political observers gave his candidacy much of a chance to succeed. Clearly those political observers did not know how serious and determined Barack Obama was to succeed in his quest for the Presidency. If the didn't know it then, however, they surely know it now. We all know it now. The deed is done and Barack is in the White House and is determined to deal fully with every crisis that is at hand for you, America.

We are surely living in frightening times and are facing extremely difficult challenges. The world has become complex and perilous. It is unlikely that this situation will change any time soon. To be honest, It is beyond me why anyone would actively seek the Presidency in times as frightening as these. But then every Presidential Election cycle has its own difficult challenges. The Civil War, World War I and II, Korea, Vietnam, and The Cold War. You, America, have always had challenges and always will.

In the early days of the Republic it is likely that England felt as though it would only be a short time before they would be able to crush the Pesky American Colonies. Not only did you survive, America but you have become the beacon of hope for all the world's oppressed people who dream of Freedom. America leads the world in every way and the people and leaders of the world are now at this time in our history looking to Barack Obama for guidance in these times of terror and renewal. Will he be up to the job? We don't know. Time will tell. We do know that his youth, dedication to family and friends, judgement, temperment, intelligence and optimism will be sorely tested in the coming months and years.

My guess is that Barack Obama is and will continue to be the kind of Global Leader who can and will help to get our country back the greatness and respectability it deserves to have not only all over our country but also all over the world. As a candidate for President he was inspired by Hope, Change and The Fierce Urgency of Now. As President he will need all of his considerable talents to guide us through the rough seas that surround us.

God Bless Barack Obama and God Bless you, America. In fact God Bless all of us. We are surely all going to need those blessings as we continue to travel through the coming rough seas.

Sincerely Yours

Jerry Gallagher

Its Inauguration Day in the Promised Land

2009-01-20T07:46:00.000-08:00

January 20th, 2009

My Dear America:

Inauguration Day has finally come to America. There have been Great Expectations regarding this day and its significance to you, America. Great Crowds had been expected. They came and in a show of respect that may have overshadowed the entire day's activities, millions of spectators kept silent not only when Barack Obama took the oath of office but also when he gave his Inauguration speech. The crowd was massive but conducted themselves with dignity honoring the first Black American to ever be sworn in as President of the United States. Certainly security was incredibly tight for this celebration of the installation of our new President. But even with security at unbearable levels, according to those in town for the celebration, there were no arrests or terrorist threats uncovered, that we know of.

Although I gave serious consideration to actually attending the Inauguration in person, I finally decided that I would be able to truly see more of the proceedings on television than in the frigid Washington crowd. There will probably always be part of me that regrets my decision not to go but today I felt truly lucky not to be freezing while watching everything from my living room.

Barack's speech was not the best speech he has ever given or I am sure will ever give. It wasn't the barn burning kind of speech that he is capable of giving and had given on the campaign trail and at the Denver Democratic Convention. It was, however, a very good speech given by a very great orator. Moreover it was a speech that was appropriate for the day and time it was given. Barack Obama was not looking to trot out catch phrases that Americans now and in the future would treasure. He recognized that the time in which he was being inaugurated was a time of difficulties and struggle in our economy, in our foreign policy and in many other aspects of American life. He didn't have to give a speech to sway the massive crowd before him and on television. He had already done that. There were some shameful voices that would pray for his failure and worse but they were on the outside edge of The New American Dream today and clearly the days were numbered for these nattering nabobs of negativism.

It was truly a new day in Washington, D.C. today and every Republican, as well as Democratic Politician knew it. The Democrats had hit the political Trifecta. They were not only in charge of the White House but the Senate and the House of Representatives, as well. As of Tomorrow Barack Obama will no longer have to hold his tongue when asked a question about what he is going to do to fix Washington and the rest of the country. No longer will he have to talk about our country having only one President at a time. He is now that One President and it is his Administration which will now, after I am sure a brief honeymoon period of patience and understanding, be expected to come up with the solutions to some very difficult and complex problems. Surely Americans will give him some room to address the issues of our time but our 24 hour cable networks being what they are will be looking for things to happen tomorrow. Indeed, we will all be looking for at least some direction as to where we are headed if not tomorrow then sometime soon.

Barack's Inauguration speech at least gave some indications of which roads we might be heading down and what problems and programs are at the top of his priority list. He also seemed to throw somewhat of an olive branch to some of those in the world who we might see as enemies of the United States of America. It was a moving and a stirring, well written and well executed speech given with integrity and honor on this historic day.

As cameras panned around the mall in front of the capitol there were people from many places, men and women, boys and girls, black and white and many other shades of American color. Many black faces were shedding tears for themselves, as well as for others who had suffered the abuse and violence of America's past sins. On this day those blacks who had not made it to the Promised Land needed to be represented and celebrated by those who had made it. It was, indeed, a historic day for so many reasons.

While Barack Obama on this historical occasion enjoyed a popularity in polls that seemed, at least at this point, to be unmatched by any other President, there was another man who when Barack took his oath of office lost his power. George Bush, whether or not he was happy or sad on this occasion of Barack's Triumph, seemed to be putting on a good front. Although Bush seemed to have presided over a Presidency of one monumental error after another he had done one thing right. Except for not letting Barack and his family move into Blair House prematurely, George and Laura Bush seemed to be hospitable hosts when they showed the incoming family around and on Inauguration Day George and Laura seemed to be putting on a good face as they and their party lost the right to live in the White House.

I was in our bedroom when my wife shouted to me that George Bush was leaving on a plane. I'm not sure if it was the helicopter or if it was Air Force One taking him home.

I had tried after the Supreme Court virtually crowned Bush President that I would at least try to accept him and give him some respect in the hope that he would deserve it. That acceptance didn't last long although I did give Bush credit for going after Al Quida in Afghanistan following the September 11th attacks. But then, as he had planned to do all along, he swaggered his way into the quicksand of Iraq, from which you, America, have yet to emerge unscathed.

As Bush's helicopter and later his plane reached for the sky it was wonderful for Americans to realize that the long national nightmare of Bush's Cowboy Presidency was over. On this day in January 2009 the legacy of Bush's Nightmare Presidency was not over with even though he himself would be out of D.C. and back in Texas.

After the Inauguration Ceremony with musical Presentations by Aretha Franklin singing "My Country Tis of Thee" and an All Star Chamber Music Quartet, Barack and Michelle attended a dinner with Congress in the Capitol. Although reporters were not allowed to photogragh the proceedings, it was widely reported that Barack worked the room going around from table to table like a groom might work a wedding reception. Unfortunately before the dinner was over Barack had to explain that shortly after Barack visited Ted Kennedy's table Senator Kennedy, an early and important Barack supporter in the primaries, collapsed and was hospitalized following a seizure. Senator Robert Byrd, the oldest serving Senator also apparently collapsed, as well.

Clearly the health problems of these two long time, important Democrats was not good news for Obama but the show had to go on and it did.

The Inauguration Ceremony, as well as the ride and walk down Pennsylvania Avenue showed America that they had elected a very good looking family to live in the White House. Michelle, who had expressed reservations about Barack running in the early days certainly seemed to be over her initial concerns, at least for this day. She and Barack looked like a healthy young couple going on a romantic walk through Washington. And their kids. Who wouldn't love those beautiful, well mannered, parent loving and respecting children.

As the minutes of Inauguration Day ticked away it seemed like the entire country had just enjoyed a breath of fresh air and was continuing to try to hang on to it. At the Inauguration balls that the Obamas visited prior to the end of January 20th they danced to "At Last" being sung by Beyonce. The list of performers at the balls seemed like a Whos Who of popular musical stars. Springsteen and "The Dead" (a band made up of surviving members of "The Grateful Dead") played. Sheryl Crow, Fall Out Boy, Kid Rock. Kid Rock? Isn't he a Republican.

Although Barack Obama did not appear to have the best sense of rhythm in the country as he and Michelle began to visit the Inaugural Balls, they certainly seemed to be a couple that was in love and would support each other as the Obama Administration became a reality. Barack and Michelle were clearly having fun with one another on Inauguration night but both knew that this day would soon be over and the first work day of the Obama Administration would come to replace it.

But for now they had and would always have the memories of this day and it had been a wonderful sunny, cold and event filled day. It had been a day that in the words of "Walter Cronkite" in describing past events "would alter and illuminate our time".

Sincerely Yours

Jerry Gallagher

A Birthday Present for Doctor King and All Americans

2009-01-19T17:43:00.000-08:00

January 19th, 2009

My Dear America:

Today is the birthday of Doctor Martin Luther King. Tomorrow is the day when Barack Obama will become the 44th President of the United States.

The Nation's Capital is buzzing with warmth even though the temperatures are below freezing. You, America, are presently the hero of the world despite the fact that it was not all that long ago that you and President Bush seemed to be unwelcome everywhere. Something in the world has surely changed. Certainly there is no doubt about the fact that something in you, America, has surely changed.

America's Patriotic Founders were a very brave group. They stood up to English tyranny and we salute them for it. They did not, however, stand up for the black slaves in the south who were sold like cattle separating families and opressing human beings in a manner that indicated that slaves were not Americans but simply less than human beings who deserved the torture, killings and rapes they
received. It is hard for me to understand, America, just how anyone could or would try to justify the outrageous treatment of black men and women in America from our earliest days until now. I can understand how it could have drifted to the bottom of the priority list in the earliest days of the republic. What I can't understand is how the wretched excesses of slavery lasted as long as they did without other brave and just Americans trying to do something about it.

Still today some Americans tend to forgive the excesses of slavery. But I think that it may not be so easy to forgive America's legacy of slavery if you and your ancestors were victims of this criminal system. Tomorrow the day after
Martin Luther King's national holiday, Michelle Obama, The black Princeton and Harvard Educated Great, Great, Great Great Grandaughter of a slave will move into the White House in Washington, D.C. with her Columbia and Harvard Educated black husband, Barack Obama, following his innauguration as the President of The United States.

Yes, this event indicates once and for all that equality has finally come to America. There is tremendous and well deserved pride in America on Innauguration Eve. It has been, however, a hard and heavy walk to freedom for black Americans. Those brave individuals who stood in the way of slavery and segregation never seemed to come to good ends. Witness Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King. Lincoln won the Civil War but lost his life in order to end the legality of slavery.

Martin Luther King was a young baptist minister in Montgomery, Alabama, who happened to be (just like Barack Obama) an eloquent and a moving speaker, when along came the arrest of Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus boycott. Largely due to the incredible leadership skills of Martin Luther King this Community Organizer was able to lead the boycotters to victory in Montgomery. Certainly Martin could have, at the end of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, gone back to his church and left the community organizing to someone else.

Martin realized,however, after the Montgomery Bus Boycott, that in the era of television, segregation looked ugly and helped to move people in the direction of non violence and away from hatred. Segregation and racism needed to go. It was a tall order for a previously unknown Southern Baptist preacher. With many young preachers by his side Martin created the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and took it upon himself to go or have his young preachers like Andrew Young, Ralph Abernathy and Jesse Jackson, go wherever they were needed in America to help stamp out segregation, racism and inequality wherever they found it in the United States of America.

Much of the progress involving racial equality that we have witnessed in our country since the late fifties and early and mid sixties was due directly to Martin Luther King and his extreme dedication to the principles of non violence as an answer to inequality and violence.

Martin was an inspiration to many individuals who followed his lead into community organizing and other forms of helping their fellow men and women.
I will never forget the day that I had the great privilege of witnessing Martin Luther King working his magic in person. I was attending Temple University in Philadelphia in the summer of 1965. The program at Temple was called the Counselor Advisor University Education Program (CAUSE II). it was a program designed to train Counselors for placement in Youth Opportunity Centers Throughout the country. These were centers which hopefully would not only provide young people with counseling but with job training and job placement.

One day at Temple a young black man who was a native Philadelphian and was also in the CAUSE II program asked me if I was going to see Dr. King that day at a rally in a church just off the Temple Campus. Tensions were high in Philly that summer in 1965 and the controversial police chief and future Mayor, Frank Rizzo, seemed to be starting more racial problems than he was solving. I went with my friend to the church where Martin would be speaking. I truly expected that there would be many white and black students at the rally. It was only after I was inside the church that I realized that mine was the single white face at this rally. I must admit that it was frightening as some of the local and national figures at this rally spoke about violence as the way of dealing with their problems. Stokely Carmichael, the leader of SNCC, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, was one who didn't sound too willing to continue to be nonviolent.

But then after all the others spoke this very short black man named Martin Luther King Jr. took his place at the podium and his voice dominated and filled the hall. He spoke slowly, clearly and softly at first. He made it clear from the outset that he had not come here to sell out his principles of nonviolence. As he spoke I almost felt as though his voice was so moving that he was able to lift me up. It was so powerful and he spoke with such eloquence. Then something happened that I will truly never forget. I don't recall everything that Dr. King was saying at the time but I remember Martin Luther King saying the words "our white brothers and sisters" and I remember him looking at me and smiling as he looked my way. I was stunned. I am still stunned just thinking about this magical moment in my life and what an incredible impression it has had and still has on my life.

So today on Martin Luther King's birthday I want to thank Dr. King for being here when we needed him. I want to thank him for all he has done to encourage social workers and community organizers alike, including that skinny black kid working on the south side of Chicago who was inspired by Martin Luther King to set his sights high.

Tomorrow that skinny kid who followed in Martin's footsteps around the south side of Chicago will take the oath of office to become the 44th President of the United States.

You can't set your sights much higher than that.

Sincerely Yours

Jerry Gallagher

Last Commentary of 2008 on The Triumph of Barack Obama

2008-12-29T11:20:00.000-08:00

December 29th, 2008

My Dear America:

There are many more lessons to be learned from the Triumph of Barack Obama in the Election of 2008. In addition to the lessons I have listed previously, I want to add one other lesson that I think is, in fact, probably the most important lesson of all that can be learned from the Obama Election Victory. That lesson is the following:

Lesson 5 - America's Respect in the World, which was certainly damaged by the Actions of the Bush Administration, can be restored and, to some extent, has already been restored by the 2008 Election of Barack Obama as President of the United States.

The reality of this statement can be understood not only by the reaction of American Leaders and Citizens to Obama's election but also by the reaction of World Leaders and World Citizens to Obama's election. With the possible exception of Russia, (and even they finally came around) nearly every foreign leader praised Obama's election and wished him well. Even Iran's President, a man of few kind words, seemed to find some for Obama following the election. Certainly Obama's election seemed put to rest claims by world leaders seeking to sow the seeds of discontent in America and elsewhere that America is a racist country that would never elect a black man to the Presidency.

Certainly Racists and Racism still exists in the United States of America. Like Terrorists in every country in the world, Racists are a fact of life in the 21st Century. Luckilly, however, in 2008, however, Racists have taken the back seat on the bus and have been relegated to the status of third class citizens.

It is certainly a new world or at least a new country and one in which all men and women for all practical purposes truly are created equal. We have seen black candidates running for President before, Shirley Chilsolm, Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton. These candidates put their mark indelibly on the Presidential Campaign Path. In reality though these candidates never really had a fighting chance to be anything more than marginal presidential candidates, people who blazed a trail and left their mark but people who ultimately did not have a snowballs chance in hell really to become President.

To be quite honest,up until the end results of the Iowa Caucus I did not give Barack Obama a snowball's chance in hell either in the 2008 Election. It was only after his stunning and unexpected victory in this isolated midwest state when it became clear that we were in a new political era in which this skinny guy with the funny name not only had a chance to make a difference but actually had a chance to win the Presidency.

How he did it and why he did it will certainly be discussed by historians for decades to come certainly and for centuries to come possibly. When I started writing this story about the Election of 2008 I intended to be as non partisan as possible in my writing. I know I failed miserably in that intention but at least I made the commitment initially. Like many others, who would not resist the title of Liberal Democrat, I felt that I had, even at the beginning of the election cycle, selected my candidate. Her name was Hillary Clinton.

I could not understand how my wife and daughters could get it so wrong when they read my Blog about the January Contests. They were alrady calling me a traitor to Hillary and an out and out Barack Supporter. It is only now, nearly a year later when I have revisited and reviewed some of my posts that I can understand where my family members were coming from in identifying me as a Barack Supporter back then. I certainly showed in some of my early posts as well as my later ones my excitement about this phenomenal new candidate, Barack Obama. Although I did and do respect Hillary Clinton and would have been just as happy to see her become President as I would have Barack, I am happy to see how things turned out for both Barack and Hillary. I wonder, however, how two people with such strong personalities will do working with each other over the long haul. Although quite clearly I was torn between the two Last Candidates Standing in the Democratic Primary I am still proud that in the Pennsylvania Primary I voted for Hillary Clinton. This decision to vote for Hillary in the PA Primary was a tough one and one that my wife and daughters still question. They still believe that in the PA Primary I voted for Barack. My denials have fallen on deaf ears in my family as they have watched me become more and more fascinated with Barack in my Blog Posts over the course of the 2008 Campaign. My wife and daughter, Rachel, who got her picture taken with Hillary at a party at Hillary's home in D.C., say they have finally forgiven me for selling out Hillary when I voted for Barack in the PA Primary. Rachel said Hillary reacted with excitement when Rachel mentioned my mother's family, The Houlihans, who had a cottage for years at Lake Winola in Northeastern Pennsylvania. To tell you the truth that sealed the deal for me. Once Rachel told me that Hillary was jumping up and down in her own home saying "The Houlihans, Sure I know the Houlihans from Lake Winola", quite frankly that did it for me. I realize that it may be a shallow reason to vote for someone for President when there are so many other dire and complicated issues to consider to consider. But I did it and I'm glad I did it.

To tell you the truth, the handwriting was already on the wall as far as I was concerned. I voted for Hillary not only because she acknowledged my family but also because she and her husband put Democrats back into the White House and those Democrats left the White House after 8 years with everything in the country going well. The Clinton's sex life should have remained something that only Hillary and Bill should have discussed with each other. Bill's indiscression with Monica Lewinsky instead was plastered all over the news and he was impeached for getting a sexual favor from a horney Intern because the Republicans in Congress had no other real issue with which to drive a stake through the heart of Bill Clinton's Presidency. But by 2008 when Hillary had become the Politician in the family, it was no longer her stumping for Bill, It was Bill stumping for her.

To be sure Hillary in 2008 was the better campaigner of the two Clintons on the road. Bill made gaffes and statements on the road that could be and were taken out of context. Bill proved to be a tireless cheerleader for his wife, though, and you had to admire his beaming, smiling support as he took a back seat to her on campaign stages throughout America. Despite all the Jay Leno jokes about the Clintons they proved once and for all that in 2008 they were still a formidable Duo who despite their failings still oved each other very deeply. Hillary, on the road proved to be able to stand up well to the Campaign fatigue that exhausted other, younger members of her staff. She had her problems with keeping her Campaign staff under control at times but she fought like hell in 2008 until the numbers became so tilted toward Obama that she had to give up her valiant and groundbreaking campaign to allow her opponent's valiant and groundbreaking campaign to take its rightful place at the head of the Democratic Pack.

Hillary was criticized by many pundits when she did not immediately shut down her campaign and endorse Obama. She did eventually in a very classy and emotional way shut down her Presidential Campaign paying tribute to her supporters and unmistakeably throwing her support to the only remaining Democratic Candidate, Barack Obama. The conspicuously campaigned together in New Hampshire and even though she was passed over for Vice President Hillary and Bill Clinton made it Clear at the Denver Democratic Convention that they were strongly supporting Barack Obama. The Democrats came out of Denver as United as is possible for Democrats to be. Hillary, despite what many believed to be a Vice Presidential snub, Hillary made good on her promise to support Obama. Bill was not as visible a supportive presence for Obama on the road as Hillary was until the last days of the campaign. Bill and Hillary truly came through for Obama. Were they the only reason Obama won. Probably not. They certainly were one of the main reasons that Obama won, however. Now as the Obama Administration begins to take shape and Hillary Clinton becomes Secretary of State the respect that these two former rivals have for each other has become more evident.

Much can be said and will be said in the coming years about the Exciting, Groundbreaking and Monumentally Historic Presidential Campaign of 2009. In the end, however, the history of the 2008 Campaign will pale in comparison to the important challenges that face Barack Obama as he begins his Administration in January of 2009.

As every President who has held the office knows full well, There will be very serious and dangerous surprises during the term of President Obama, in addition to the very serious and dangerous surprises that have already occurred that President Obama will be required to deal with. We live in dangerous and surprising times and it is a mystery to me why so many eminently qualified and capable people continue to present themselves every four years as candidates for what is arguably the worst, most impossible, most thankless and dangerous job in the world. I guess the reason that they come might have to do with the fact that it can also be the most highly respected, most enduring and the most important job in the world.

I am just glad that they keep coming and that The United States of America, a relatively young country compared to many others continues to endure and attract Presidents like Barack Obama.

As has been said for over 200 years and will be said for many hundreds of years

God Bless The United States of America and let us also say at this time of national pride and challenge

God Bless The Presidency of Barack Obama.

May we all survive to witness The Presidency of Barack Obama and the Presidencies of many who might come after him.

Sincerely Yours

Jerry Gallagher

Lessons at the End of The Long and Winding 2008 Campaign Trail

2008-12-19T10:53:00.000-08:00

December 19th, 2008

My Dear America:

"It is Over", a sign read in a long distant Presidential Campaign of many decades past. That sign was a sad one. A depressing one, announcing the burial of George McGovern by Richard Nixon in a landslide victory that still stands as one of the most stunning presidential campaign defeats of all time in the political history of the United States. Clearly if Nixon had simply campaigned above board and on the level he still would have won a convincing victory over George McGovern in 1972. But Richard Nixon was a very strange character and he saw the world in a very disturbed way. He saw and felt enemies everywhere and that was his downfall. Certainly he had his share of enemies but they were nowhere near as dangerous nor as powerful as he was and in the end his paranoia killed what might have been and in some significant ways still is a Presidency of enormous accomplishments. Nixon opened the door to China and although the Chinese are killing us in the marketplace there is much less tension in the world since Tricky Dick opened the door to China. But far more memorable than Nixon in China is Nixon's involvement in "Watergate", a burglary that came to symbolize the worst of what politics is capable of becoming.

"It is Over" once again in December of 2008 and this time the mood among left leaning Liberal Democrats is far different that the mood of 1972.

It is no longer a view of hopelessness and continued death and destruction in the world. It is, in fact, a view of hope for the future and a turning around of the destructive and mind numbing policies of the George W. Bush era.

Clearly there are Countless Lessons that can be learned by the Triumphant Victory of Barack Obama in the Election of 2008. What I am going to try to do is to discuss some of those lessons that I see as most significant.

Lesson 1 - The United States of America is truly No Longer a Racist Nation

Certainly that statement could not always be truthfully said about America. Our tortured past includes a history of slavery in America that is beyond shameful. Slavery in America has not only been tolerated it has been responsible for incredible brutality against human beings. This legacy of brutality was mainly in the southern states during our country's infancy but slavery was also tolerated in the northern states, as well, during the early years of our country. When I recently watched the HBO Television Mini-Series, "John Adams", I was struck by the fact that many of the signers of "The Declaration of Independence" and the United States "Constitution" had slaves waiting outside of Independence Hall to pick up their masters after a hard day of figuring out how to keep Americans from becoming slaves to the English King. Fighting for Freedom to many of our American Forefathers, however, did not mean fighting for Freedom for all Americans, merely for white Americans.

For many years after the American Revolution the system of slavery continued in The United States of America. In fact, two of our most beloved Patriots and Presidents, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson not only defended slavery but were themselves practicing slave owners.

The United States of America, in fact, had to wait until the Presidency of Abraham Lincoln before an American President had the bravery and decency to insist that the practice of slavery was not consistent with the American tradition of Freedom. Lincoln freed the slaves and got a Civil War Victory but his personal reward was a bullet fired by a racist actor who became a hero to many southerners.

Luckilly, for Black Americans, Lincolns death did not resurrect slavery but the residue of slavery continued to contaminate mainly the southern states throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. For long periods of time even up to and including the 1950's, blacks, who were supposedly free, ended up being killed in many types of murderous ways in the American South and even at times in the northern states, as well. For several generations of southerners Lynching became something of a southern tradition, which sometimes led to photographs being taken of smiling whites in front of a hanged, charred and mutilated human being. The truth is that were it not for the bravery of Martin Luther King and his followers and the dawning of the Television Age Lynching might still be the continuing sport of racist southerners who feel nothing but contempt and anger for people of color.

Martin Luther King went the way of many other freedom fighters, however. He, also took a racist bullet the day after he wisely predicted that his death was near and that his people, like those of Moses, would "get to the Promised Land."

Certainly there is evidence that in certain pockets of America, racism is alive and well and just as dangerous and insidious as ever. We even have reverse racism, which in today's society black gang members are just as feared and many times just as deadly as white racists. Racism is not as widespread or as blatently deadly as it used to be between blacks and whites. But racism is still alive and can still be just as deadly as it ever was.

That being said, there is something to be thankful for as we now see Barack Obama getting ready to lead our nation during the next four years. To be honest I was not sure just how racist a nation we were. I heard racist statements being made during this past election by people who surprised me by their level of hostility to Barack Obama. I did not know if, in fact, Obama's positive qualities could, in the end, win out over racism in America. Barack's election indicated that racism, while certainly not dead, was not the most important factor in the election of an American President.

LESSON 2 - In an Increasingly Unstable World, It is Encouraging to Realize
that the United States of America is Capable of Changing its Government in an Orderly and Calm Manner by Informed Voting And a Bloodless Coup.

Certainly our Forefathers, the Leaders of the American Revolution and the Writers and Signers of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were brave and honest men. Some of them were also brilliant and scholarly men.

Some were also slaveholders and some, although they respected women, would never have entertained the idea that a woman would someday vote, never mind the fact that one day a woman might someday run for President of The United States and very nearly win the Presidency.

Certainly many of those same early Forefathers also never thought that The Presidency of the United States would be actually won by a Black Man. In a society, much of which was based on Slavery, the idea of a black man voting was outrageous enough. The idea of a Black Man running against a White Woman for the Presidency in 2008 was surely a concept that none of our Forefathers could even have dreamed could happen. Surely those were ideas that out Forefathers could not and would not fathom yet here we are today with a Black Man about to take the Oath of Office for the Presidency of The United States.

While we Americans in 2008, ready to leap forward to 2009, can hardly fathom the world that our American Forefathers lived in, we need to be grateful for many of their decisions regarding the country which they created and lived in. Because of these strange and divergent individuals living in a difficult period of time in a world far different from ours they could have looked the other way and accepted the difficult hand they were dealt. They did, for a time, do just that but as black hearted rulers tend to do, King George pushed our forefathers to the limit and beyond. And beyond that limit was waiting a Democracy the likes of which the world had never known. Beyond that limit was America.

It is difficult for most of us who were born and raised in America to understand what the rest of the world is like outside of America. No country is more free, more generous or as welcoming as America. While many countries of the world have difficulty keeping their residents from trying to escape their borders, America has the opposite problem. In Amereica anyone who wants to get out is free to do so. Our problem is that those fleeing from other countries are looking to get into, not out of America.

How do we as Americans over 200 years down the line from our country's birth understand the miracle country America always was and continues to be. To be sure it is at least partly a miracle that America still exists, never mind the fact that America is truly a leader in the world. Despite its troubles and handicaps America still continues to be the leader in almost every way in the year of 2008. A reminder of America's leadership in the world is what has happened to the economy of the world in the waning months of 2008. When America's economy took a nose dive so did the economies of nearly every country in the world.

In December of 2008 we are still in serious economic trouble but we have been there before and we will undoubtedly be there again in future years but who do the worlds economies look to to lead the way out of economic turmoil. America, thats who.

After 8 years of Bush era deregulation turning Wall Street and the American banking system into a money making machine in which there were no rules other than "getting rich quick". To be honest it is amazing tha the economic collapse took this long to occur.

On the plus side, however, is the fact that the economic meltdown seems to have put Barack Obama in the enviable position of being the one Last Candidate Standing who seemed to have ideas other than those which had been in operation for Bush's 8 unbearable years of American decline. John McCain claimed to have all the economic answers but his answers seemed foolish and awkward at best and at worst, answers guaranteed to keep the rich richer and the middle class poorer and the country in awful shape.

An economic system with the kind of money on the line that America had was one more thing that would have been hard for our American Patriotic forefathers to predict. How did they know then just how to set up a Democratic Government that would be capable of continuing itself from 1776 to 2008 and beyond. A good question, certainly but one which is difficult to answer.

Surely having intellectuals like Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin and John Adams didn't hurt. Also having brilliant soldiers like George Washington didn't hurt either. Clearly there were a lot of factors that these lonely rebels had to think about in setting forth a new country. Surely they must have all thought that there chance was a slight one to end up building a solidly democratic new country. It must have at least entered their minds that their chances of starting a new democratic nation was much less likely than their ending up on the hanging end of a rope.

But they did it, those brilliant brave buggers. They accomplished the impossible and now every four years we accomplish the impossible too. Our country goes through the painful throes of an election every four years and we come out of it shaken but willing to accept the verdict of the American people, whatever that verdict might be. And before, after and during the elections we praise our Forefathers once again for being smart enough and brave enough to do what they did in America so many years ago. They probably didn't even dream of how capable they were of establishing a Democratic Government capable of continuing itself. But they were capable in their time and we are capable in ours of bringing forth a new and charismatic leader, whose leadership ability seems to have blurred the lines of color in America and hopefull will be able to lead us once again to peaceful economic security.

Lesson 3 - The Majority of American Voters wanted the United States Millitary Forces out of Iraq.

Clearly it does not take a genius to figure out that Americans are tired of sacrificing the lives of our soldiers in Iraq. Iraq was a misadventure from the beginning. Certainly Saddam Hussein was a brutal dicator who needed to be watched closely and when the time came gotten rid of in one way or another. What Bob Woodward makes clear in his book, "Bush at War", is that George W.Bush and probably Dick Cheney had their eye on invading Iraq and toppling Saddam from the first days of their Administration. Bush had put out the word to his Top Pentagon officials long before 9/11 that he wanted to see a plan for the invasion of Iraq. That plan was prepared but interrupted by the 9/11 attacks and the response to that attack in Afghanistan. But after gaining wide support for the Afghanistan mission, Bush took his eye off that ball and lasered in on Iraq, where he claimed the mission was to defuse "weapons of mass destruction" first. Then when it became obvious to the world that this reason to invade Iraq was not flying and that we should get out of this misadventure then came new reasons for us to be in Iraq. "Regime change" and "to bring democracy to the middle east" sudenly popped up as the new reasons for the USA to be in Iraq.

The United States Armed Forces have been fighting in Iraq longer than we have been fighting in any other US war. I often wonder how long it would take me or you to become a terrorist if another country, lets say Canada, invaded the United States deposed our president and made it a policy of shooting our neighbors, at will and kicking in the doors to our homes in the middle of the night to cart off our relatives or ourselves to Abu Garib or Guantanamo. How would I respond to a week or two or a month or so in Abu Garib, if I was lucky enough to make it out alive or not be sent to Guantanamo. Our policy in Iraq was clearly from the first moment to depose Saddam and prevent his sons from continuing the brutal legacy of Saddam's family. To be honest this was probably not a bad goal in many ways. The trouble was that this was not our country to do with as we pleased. We were, and as of today's date continue to be, occupiers of this land of brutality where civilization started and, god forbid, may be finishing.

Yes, of course, nobody misses Saddam in Iraq except his syncophants. We are all glad he is gone but what a price our millitary and the Iraqi people paid to get rid of this monster. Now to the Iraqi people it must look as though we are the monsters. Any and every poll taken regarding what Iraqi's want in terms of our forces are overwhelmingly in favor of the United States Armed forces getting out of Iraq as soon as possible. Although we were, in fact, greeted as liberators for a short time in the early days of our invasion, the Bush/Cheney Administration seem to have done nothing, or at least very little right, in their conduct of this disastrous struggle.

Barack Obama has made no secret of his opposition to the War in Iraq from the earliest days when he was not even a candidate for the Senate. In the early days of his Presidential Campaign he used this issue to constantly challenge other candidates regarding their initial complicity with George Bush in giving him the power to conduct the war. Although the Iraq war has never been a dead issue in the Obama Presidential Campaign it took a back seat in the later days of the campaign to the United States and worldwide economies as the primary campaign issue.

Those of us who voted for Barack will certainly look forward to his following through on his campaign promise to end the War in Iraq in a timely manner. Barack needs to think very clearly about the lesson of history when it comes to Afghanistan. Osama bin laden has made it clear that he wants to do to us what he helped do to the Russians. Namely, bleed us dry financially so that our power is depleted with our funds. If there was one country that was responsible for the downfall of the USSR, it was Afghanistan. Certainly getting bin laden is an essential goal of the United States but we need to be wise in how we go about it. Partnership with Pakistan, Black Operations with bin laden and other terrorists as the target are the way to go. While we do not want to turn over Afghanistan to the Taliban, we also do not want to do what we did in Iraq and stay so long that we and not the Taliban or bin laden become the most hated enemy occupiers. The middle east is a complicated place with a complicated history of troubles and strife. We need to understand that warlords, tribal chiefs and complicated interactions are the way of life in Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran and every other middle eastern country with which we deal. We need to be smart enough not to play into the hands of Al Quida and other terrorist organizations. We have learned some hard lessons in the middle east. It is time to put those hard lessons to good use in our foregn policy of the Obama Administration.

Lesson 4 - The Election of Barack Obama in 2008 was an Election that was Highly Influenced by the use of the Internet by the Presidential Candidates and by the American People.

2008 was not the first year that the Internet proved to be influential in American Politics. Certainly 2006 was a year that saw current Democratic Party Chariman, Howard Dean, raise enormous sums of money through his campaign's Internet appeals to like minded Democrats and Independents. Unlike previous Democratic Presidential Campaign Fund Raising, Much of Dean's money was raised by many small contributions rather than a few large contributors. Television coverage of the Dean Campaign Fund Raising Phenomenon almost immediately turned Howard Dean from a largely unknown former Doctor and Governor of Vermont to the Democratic Party Front Runner in 2005 and 2006. Dean remained the Front Runner up until the 2006 Iowa Caucus results, when his Iowa loss turned his voice weird and his Internet coffers dried up along with his 2006 Presidential Aspirations. The next Democratic Front Runner in 2006, John Kerry, did not have much to say that was positive about his rival, Howard Dean. But Kerry surely paid attention to Dean's Internet campaigning and as Dean's Internet fund raising ability sunk to disastrous levels, John Kerry, using many of the Internet fund raising skills developed by the Dean Campaign, began to fill his campaign coffers with money that had probably once been destined for Dean.

Also in 2006 Republicans also began to pay attention to what the Democrats were doing in Fund Raising. The Bush Backers were still largely the Wall Streeters, Pharmaceutical Companies, Insurance Companies, War Contractors and Oil Companies, whose management and Investors had become bloatedly Rich during the first Bush term. These tax dodging fat cats had lined up in 2006 to help George Bush, who had spent his first four year in office helping them to line their own pockets while the average hard working Americans picked up the tax tab for their greed. Line workers and Union members were losing their jobs at an alarming pace in 2006 while Republican ripoff artists walked away from their failures at being CEOS with million dollar lined Golden Parachutes.

Although the Bush Campaign in 2006 did not need the kind of funding that the Democrats did, they certainly paid attention to some of the Democratic Campaign techniques such as building up a base of E Mail addresses, where the candidate could communicate with the voter by E Mail. This technique proved valuable to Republican operatives as they promoted their dire warnings about the evils of Gay Marriage and Abortions. These issues Karl Rove felt would be the Republican ticket to success in 2006. E Mails about these issues and George Bush's intent to protect the nation from the evil gay marriage and abortion seekers joined the direct mail lies that Republicans also sent, which, along with some serious methods of voter manipulation eventually kept George Bush living on Pennsylvania Avenue for another four years. Of course once Bush was reelected the issues of gay marriage and, to some extent, abortion became non issues to him once again

In 2008, however, it was a different day and a different time and a completely different take on George W. Bush. While it was expected that Democrats would certainly trash W in their seemingly endless string of debates, it was a bit more startling to see and hear how much the Republican candidates tried to distance themselves from the President.

The Republican Candidates seemed to use the Internet sparingly in their campaigns, with the exceptions of Mike Huckabee and Ron Paul. Although Paul and Huckabee were not successful in winning their party's endorsement both of these out of the mainstram candidates proved to be relatively successful in their Internet Fund Raising efforts. Other Republican candidates seemed to rely on the tried and true methods of direct mail and personal contacts and phone calls to raise funds and drum up support.

On the Democratic side of the 2008 Presidential Race it appeared as though John Edwards seemed to be the first Democratic Candidate to hit the Internet running. That was understandable since Edward's first Campaign Manager in the 2008 Election was Joe Trippi. Trippi had been Campaign Manager for Howard Dean when Dean's campaign hit high gear in fundraising for the 2006 Campaign. Following the disastrous 2006 Iowa Caucus results Trippi was thrown overboard with the hope that new blood would jumpstart the Dean Campaign. It didn't. Trippi did not last forever with Edwards either but Trippi made a practice of sending out E Mails letting Democrats know what was going on in the Edwards Campaing and, of course, asking for money. Personal messages from Johnnny E. also arrived frequently in Democratic E Mail boxes also asking for Money. As the campaign rolled on and Edwards was mildly successful in fund raising on the Internet at least a few of his competitors, namely Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama came online not only to Fund Raise but also to get out their messages. Hillary announced her candidacy online.

Obama's campaign seemed to have little chance against the more experienced candidacies of Clinton and Edwards. Early on there were a lot of Democratic Candidates besides the big 3 of Obama, Clinton and Edwards. Joe Biden and Bill Richardson's Campaigns ran out of steam and money quickly. Mike Gravel was almost an invisible candidate who disappeared from view quickly. Chris Dodd was somewhat successful in getting his message out, as was Dennis Kucinich, who had very good messages and good ideas to promote. But none of these candidates were able to break the spell over the Democratic voters that Obama and Clinton seemed to have been able to cast.

And then suddenly, seemingly without warning, Obama's fund raising with individual small amount donors seemed to go through the roof and with each passing month seemed to become even more unbelievably successful, eventually leaving not only Hillary Clinton far behind but even leaving the Republican Fat Cat sponsored Republican Party Front Runner, John McCain, far behind, as well.

Fund Raising on the Internet was just one part of the story when it comes to Barack Obama's Campaign use of the Internet. The story of how Barack and Company used the Internet to help get him elected is a story of brilliance personified. A visit to the Obama site was enticing even to some poor Democrat who had little interest in Obama. There were blogs designed to let the visitor tell their story to Obama and in every manner of speaking the Obama website was a masterpiece of online engineering, campaign recruiting and fundraising that will undoutedly stand the test of time as a guideline for online presidential campaigning for many years to come. You Tube, which had barely existed in 2006 was available to the Obama campaign in 2008. On You Tube Obama commercials Which would cost a fortune to air on commercial television aired for free. Even Obama Girl took You Tube and the country by storm. Although the Internet was not the only reason that Obama waas successful in his bid to become the President of the United States, It was certainly a primary Reason that Obama will take the oath of office in January 20th, 2009 to become The President Of The United States.

Sincerely Yours

Jerry Gallagher

NOVEMBER 4TH, 2008 - DEMOCRATIC VICTORY AND CHANGE HAS COME TO THE PROMISED LAND

2008-11-08T09:10:00.000-08:00

November 8th, 2008

My Dear America:

I got up early Tuesday morning. I was scheduled to hand out literature for Sam Bennett, an attractive young lady running for Congress in the 15th Congressional District in Pennsylvania on the Democratic ticket. Sam was a Leader in the Allentown City and Lehigh County Democratic Committees. I thought she had a good shot at defeating Charlie Dent, a committed Republican Stooge for George Bush in his early term. Charlie had started to vote a little more moderately after the trouncing many Republican members of Congress received in the 2006 election. In that election, Charlie Dent had barely survived a write in challenger with little money and little name recognition. In 2006 Charlie Dent, with the obvious support of the leading local newspaper, The Morning Call, barely recognized that he had an opponent and that opponent almost finished him off. Dent was not going to let that happen this time.

Sam had fought hard and steady during this years campaign to try to get smears out of the election and talk about the issues such as Iraq and the economy. Dent smeared this year like he had never smeared before and on Election night Sam bravely and classily took her bows at The Allentown Brew Works, which was Election Central for the Lehigh County Democrats and then moved to the back of the celebration with her family to deal with what must have been a heartbreaking loss.

But despite Sam's loss there was something else happening that night at the Allentown Brew Works. Democrats, with the exception of Sam, were watching their dreams finally coming true on a wide screen television. It had been a long time since Bill Clinton left the White House and George Bush and his cronies stole the Election in 2000. Disgustingly dirty tricks including obvious vote suppression and pandering to the right wing had brought Bush back for a second term in 2004 to further wreak havoc on the country for four more long and agonizing years.

But that was over on November 4th, 2008. During the last three and a half years George Bush had not only become a Pariah in the Democratic Party but was also Persona Non Grata in his own Republican Pary, as well. Indeed, John McCain, the 2008 standard bearer didn't even want Bush anywhere near the Republican Party Convention in St. Louis, where McCain would be nominated for Republican Presidential Contender.

I had never seen as many Democrats gathered together in the Lehigh Valley before and it was obvious even at the Brew Works that the makeup of the Democratic Coalition was not just changing but, in fact, had already changed. Blacks, Latinos, Young People of all colors and persuasions were joining together with the Older White Democrats to celebrate the passing of the torch to a Young, Black Man who had rocketed out of obscurity after his Keynote Address at the 2004 Democratic Convention.

On November 4th, 2008, a mere four years later he had captured the Democratic Party Nomination after defeating a relatively strong group of Democratic rivals. He whittled the group down a bit at a time and finally there was only one rival left, Hillary Clinton. She was a formidable rival, nevertheless. There were many faithful Democrats who, like Hillary, admired Barack Obama but felt that he was cutting in line too soon for his shot at the highest office in the land.

Hillary fought hard for the nomination but although Barack always gave her the respect she deserved in the Democratic Party Debates, he also gave her a run for her money in the Primary Race for the Democratic Nomination. Hillary, to her credit, when she realized that her hopes for getting the Nomination were dashed, followed through on her promise to support Barack. She was not able to convince every Hillary supporter to support Barack but she did her best to do just that in the remainder of the Election. Hillary and Bill Clinton's very strong Support for Barack Obama at the Democratic Convention in Denver allowed Barack to leave the Convention with his campaign and his party in fine form and ready to face the days that were left as unified as the Democratic Party had ever been. Before and after Denver Barack felt like and looked like a winner and although the polls didn't always agree his self confidence and his finely tuned message of Hope, Change, Getting out of Iraq, Getting Bin laden, Giving Tax breaks to the Middle Class and no more tax breaks for the Super Rich, resonated with voters.

As Barack said over and over across the United States of America IT TRULY WAS OUR TIME.

Now that our time has come we must enjoy it. We must celebrate it. We must rejoice over it. We have waited a long time for this moment. I read a very moving open letter to Barack Obama this week written by Alice Walker. She advised Barack not to let himself be overwhelmed by the job and to continue to pay attention to his wife and daughters and let himself relax. Somehow I don't think that this will be a problem for Barack Obama. He does not appear to be a nervous guy. He has had plenty to make him nervous over the course of this year's campaign and it seems as though he has maintained his cool throughout this harrowing time. My guess is that he will continue to make time for his lovely family and that he and they will make us proud to be Americans again.

The messages from all over the world have shown that not only Americans but Planet Earth Citizens from everywhere are no longer looking with disdain at The United States of America. Barack Obama's message of Hope, Change and Peace is a message that can and will resonate everywhere in the world.

We were still at the Brew Works when one of the networks called the election for Obama. The shouting was deafening. These Democrats were stoked up. As my wife, Sandy (a committed Hillary Supporter before she was a Barack Supporter) and I left the Brew Works, where we had also met with our daughter, Rachel (Another Hillary Supporter, Rutgers Law School Student and Future Presidential Candidate, Mark My Words) there were a few Allentonians whooping it up on Hamilton Street. We joined them for a few whoops as we walked to my car. We decided to drive by the Brew Works and beep our horn on the way home and it brought back memories of doing so many years ago. As I hit the horn the Democrats outside of the Brew Works yelled and gave V for victory signs.

When we got home Sandy fell asleep before Barack came on CNN and gave his rousing Victory Speech. It had been one Hell of a Night and a proper end to one Hell of a Historic Election.

During his Victory Speech Barack acknowledged that he knew that his Grandmother, who had just died, was there with him in Chicago that night. It takes a lot to make Jesse Jackson cry but he was visibly weeping probably realizing that along with Barack's Grandmother, Martin Luther King was also there in Chicago that night thinking about the speech he gave the night before he died in Memphis.

"I've been to the mountaintop and I've seen the Promised Land", Martin Said. "I may not get there with you", he continued, "but we as a people will get to the Promised land."

On this beautiful Chicago night as we watched the first Black man ever to win the Presidency of the United States it was quite obvious that we had all arrived together in The Promised Land.

Sincerely Yours

Jerry Gallagher

The Home Stretch Begins - An Incredible Review of an Incredible Campaign Up To This Point

2008-10-09T07:33:00.000-07:00

Thursday, October 9th, 2008

My Dear America:

It has certainly been a wild and bumpy ride on this year's Road To The White House and it is far from over yet. This has been a year of incredibles in every way, shape and form and it is only prudent to expect that there will be more mind blowing incredible things to come, although it is difficult to anticipate what could be more incredible than what we have already seen.

What have we seen that is incredible. Well lets see.

One incredible thing that has happened or more accurately two incredible things that have happened is that both Democratic and Republican Last Candidates Standing were not the Candidates that the party pros would have picked at the beginning of January. The Mavericks in both parties took the lead the hard way. They earned it. And now they are racing each other toward the finish line. INCREDIBLE

Hillary Clinton proved to be a formidible candidate and a very aggressive opponent of Barack Obama. After the bloodletting Primary Campaign was over even though many of Hillary's backers were angry to begin with when Hillary endorsed Barack she meant it and both Hillary and Bill Clinton proved to be Barack backers with a Capital B at the Incredible Denver Convention. Barack, Joe Biden,The Clintons and the Convention were INCREDIBLE.

The Republican Convention was just as Incredible as the Democratic Convention. John McCain immediately took the wind out of the Democratic Sails on the Friday after the Democratic Convention by announcing his Vice Presidential pick, Sarah Palin. The Conventioners loved her and she was especially greeted with enthusiasm by the Republican Religious Right, who were overjoyed to see someone who was just as extreme as they were taking the second spot on the ticket. Sarah soon showed that although she was an attractive Hockey Mom Governor she had a few skeletons in her closet. Her unmarried daughter was pregnant and evidence was mounting that Sarah had put pressure on the Alaska Director of Public Safety to fire her ex brother in law. Although the ex brother in law was still on the job the Alaska Director of Public Safety was no longer in his. He had been fired. Sarah said it was for reasons other than refusing to fire the ex brother in law. Now the McCain Campaign is involved in trying to shut down the scandal before it completely finishes their candidate. INCREDIBLE.

And then there is the most Incredible development of all. The impending Financial Collapse on Wall Street. McCain at first claimed that it was all an illusion and that the fundamentals of our ecomomy are sound. Shortly after he realized how dire things really were he changed his tune and the man who claimed to know nothing about the economy was suddenly acting like an expert and claimed to suspend his campaign while he flew back to Washington to help alleviate the crisis. He also threatened not to show up for the First Presidential Debate and wanted to delay the debate. Obama refused to follow the bait. He allowed McCain to suspend his campaign and rush back to Washington. Then Bush and his financial team came up with the idea of a bail out package for Wall Street with a price tag of 700 Billion Dollars. Not only was that amount incredible. The original proposal from the White House and Henry Paulsen would have placed that amount of money in Mr. Paulsen's hands with no oversight of any kind. He would not even have had to answer to the courts in the first proposal. That proposal was not approved and finally a more realistic proposal with oversight and with some curtailing of million dollar parachutes for escaping wall street executives was part of the final deal.

McCain and Bush, the proud deregulators had insisted "Hands off Wall Street". These guys wanted no part of Nationalizing Health Care but now they wanted Wall Street Nationalized.

Just think of what the rest of us could have done with 700 Billion Dollars. We could have paid for a National Health Care Program. And where in the world is this money going to come. From Chinese and the Middle Eastern Bankers who must be continuing to chuckle as we continue to show them that they are in charge of our financial situation, not us.

ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE.

I fear for our safety in the future and what I fear most is that this Ship of Fools that we are on could possibly Continue with Captain McCain taking over for Captain Bush. If that happens, God Help Us.

Sincerely Yours

Jerry Gallagher

Invasion Of The Mind Snatchers

2008-09-13T14:13:00.000-07:00

Saturday, September 13th, 2008

My Dear America:

On a Saturday afternoon in a decade long past I went to the movies in Clark Summit, Pennsylvania and saw a film called "Invasion of the Body Snatchers". It was a science fiction film, a genre I really enjoyed. Unlike most science fiction films, though, It didn't have a giant Ant, Gorilla,Creature from the Black Lagoon or some other scary monster that you could see and by seeing be less scared of because you figured that the plot of the movie probably couldn't happen.

"Invasion of the Body Snatchers" was different. It was the story of a Doctor who returns to his small town and finds that one by one all of the people he has known in his town are being replaced by emotionless individuals who have been grown from pods that have dropped from the sky and when placed by a person when they sleep they replicate the body and mind of that person. Just not the emotions. I still remember coming out of that theater feeling more than a bit paranoid as I looked at the people of my small town going about their business just as if nothing had happened. Of course nothing had happened to them, unless they had seen the movie like I did.

I had that same strange feeling as I watched the Republican Convention less than two weeks ago that I had when Kevin McCarthy (the Doctor in the Movie) woke up and realized just how dangerous his world had become. We have seen in the past two weeks some mind control of epic proportions.

Sarah Palin has arrived on the Republican Scene and this hot looking bible beating, book banning, Barack bashing, mother of five and Governor of Alaska has transformed John McCain from an also ran into a fast runner. Palin was noticeably absent from Sunday Talk Shows last Sunday, the Sunday after the Republican Convention. Certainly there may have been a lot of reasons for that, such as her meager foreign policy experience. But one has to really wonder about the power of the Religious Right Wing, who have embraced Sarah Palin as one of their own and a reason to finally get on board the Straight Talk Express.

Many bizarre and weird things have happened since Sarah has arrived on the 2008 Political Scene. Many of the most bizarre scenes occurred at the Republican Convention in St. Paul. There was the Night of a Thousand Political Losers starring Arkansas Traveler, Mike Huckabee, Plastic Mitt Romney and, Of Course, Ruthless Rudy Giuliani. One had to admire Texas Congressman, Ron Paul for having the good sense to avoid the Republican Convention like the Plague. He had his own convention of his own offbeat followers across the river from St. Paul. I only saw Romney's and Giuliani's speeches. I missed Huckabee's speech, although I saw a comment about it on Jon Stewart's "Daily Show". I got the impression from Stewart's show that Huckabee's speech was hard to fathom. Romney and Giuliani sounded like completely different people than they were in the campaign, where they had little good to say about John McCain. While that was not surprising, the level of venom spewed by Romney and especially Giuliani was extremely mean spirited and obnoxious.

Giuliani looked and sounded like a snake snarling and spitting into the St. Paul night. It was a surprisingly disturbing sight. Rudy on a good night looks Ugly. On this night at the convention, though, Rudy looked as though he had truly been beaten to within an inch of his life with the Ugly Stick.

After Rudy slithered off the Convention Stage even a Half Ugly Human Being would have looked good. Certainly Sarah Palin following Rudy Giuliani was like a movie star following the Hunchback of Notre Dame on stage.

Sarah was folksy for a bit and then got quickly to her message which obviously was to trash and shred Obama. Disrespect was the watchword for Sarah and she did her shredding job as well as McCain or anyone else could have expected.

McCain on Thursday Night was the Man, The Candidate, The Honorable One and then the Convention ended on a high note and has continued since then on a series of low notes. But clearly what looked like an iffy pick for Vice President has turned out to be a positive for John McCain.

The mind snatchers have returned once again. Watch out for the Pods, America. This is a very scary time.

Sincerely Yours

Jerry Gallagher

John McCain, Where Are You

2008-09-02T07:50:00.001-07:00

Tuesday, September 2nd, 2008
10:30 AM

My Dear America:

Even Democrats may be starting to feel sorry for John McCain these Days. On what was to be the second day of the Republican Convention it seems as though John McCain has disappeared. He was spotted at the end of last week introducing his Vice Presidential pick, Sarah Palin to the world. He really did something on Friday that I would not have thought was impossible. On the day after Barack Obama's incredibly successful Acceptance Speech at the Democratic Convention John McCain's stunning Vice Presidential announcement stole Barack's momentum and lit up the airwaves and McCain's Conservative support, which had at best been lukewarm up until then. But it didn't take long for the bloom to come off McCain's unlikely pick.

To be sure Sarah Palin is an Exciting American Story. She was a good student, standout basketball player and coach and a Hockey Mom who married her High School Sweetheart. She started with the PTA and graduated to City Council, Mayor of a small town and ended up a popular governor of Alaska. Although she seems to be very popular with Alaskans one Alaskan State legislator indicated that he could not figure out why John McCain picked her and questioned whether McCain had a recent head injury.

Television Talking Heads who claim to know something about the process say that John McCain was steadfast in wanting to pick former Democratic Vice Presidential Candidate, Joe Lieberman but was finally convinced by a McCain Confidante that anti Lieberman sentiment was so high in the Republican Party that it could quite possibly blow up the Republican Convention. At the last minute McCain backed down and out came Palin on Friday. And along with Palin is word that she fired Alaska's Commisioner of Public Safety because he would not buckle and fire her ex Brother in Law, who is a State Trooper and is involved in a custody battle with Palin's sister. As if that wasn't enough bad news for McCain, word also leaked out that Sarah Palin's teenage daughter is pregnant.

One has to admire Barack Obama for letting the world know very quickly that the families of candidates should be off limits and that he would have nothing to say about Sarah's daughter's situation. Obama was kind enough to remind reporters that his mother was a teenager when she had him.

In addition it seems odd, to say the least, to note that after James Dobson's prayers for rain to ruin Barack's Acceptance Speech night, that the rather sick joke was on Dobson. Barack could not have asked for better weather for his big night in Denver. On the other hand Hurricane Gustav virtually shut down the Republican Convention in St. Paul Monday. The first night of the Convention was on the same day Gustav hit landfall in New Orleans and elsewhere in the Gulf Coast. Yesterday, Monday night, Bush and Cheney were scheduled to speak but of course they didn't. In the end that might have been more of a plus than a minus for John McCain.

Louisiana Governor, Bobby Jindal, who was also scheduled to speak this week at the Republican Convention said he wouldn't make it either. He is running the show in Louisiana and has had the good sense to continue to put his concentration where it needed to be. Jindal was on McCain's short list of VP Contenders. He is doing a magnificent job this time out in making sure that there is no repeat of Katrina. He is doing so well that I am sure there are many Republican hand wringers who are saying:

"Bobby, Why didn't he go with Bobby J."?

McCain may very well be one of those hand wringers.

So to Dr. Dobson who prayed for rain to drown the Democrats I can only Say "Hey Brother Dobson, God has answered your prayers. You wanted rain. You got rain. God just got to it a little later than you wanted him to. And it did, in fact, ruin a Convention. Just not the one you wanted ruined, Dr. Dobson."

Sincerely Yours

Jerry Gallagher

On a Beautiful and Historic Night in Denver Barack Obama Gives The Speech Of His Lifetime and Knocks It Out Of Mile High Stadium

2008-08-30T11:14:00.000-07:00

Saturday, August 30th, 2008
2:19 PM

My Dear America:

Thursday, August 28th, 2008 was a night that was destined to go down in history. There was no doubt about that. Barack Obama was coming at the end of this evening to accept the Democratic Party's 2008 Nomination for President of the United States of America.

The Warm Up Music included performances by Michael McDonald, Sheryl Crow and Stevie Wonder. The Warm Up Speakers included Howard Dean, Bill Richardson and Al Gore. You knew that this was going to be a Super Important Night. Of that there was no doubt. There was a stageful of retired Army, Navy and Air Force Brass. I can't recall any Marine Generals, although there may have been one or two. The group included Wesley Clark, although he was not the one who spoke for the Millitary Brass. The gentleman who did speak for the group made it clear that these Generals and Admirals had confidence in and had already pledged their support to the man who would soon accept the Democratic Mantle.

But the most impressive speakers in the Pre Barack show included a bunch of regular folks, at least some of them recently retired from the Republican Pary, who told their heartbreaking stories of being left behind by the Bush Administration during the last 8 years. They were people who had worked hard and expected their government to help them and be there for them in their hour of need but found out the hard way that when they lost their jobs and their health care and their businesses that they were no longer the deserving party faithful.

They were on their own.

But on this special, historic night in Denver they had finally found an audience willing to listen to these voices crying out in the wilderness for help. There were plenty more stories like theirs out there and tonight they were speaking with and for the multitude.

Barney Smith was a proud, Ex Republican, who was one of the group that graced the Mile High Stadium Stage. He was certainly one of the least impressive speakers of the night but he had what was probably one of the most impressive speech lines of the night when he informed the nationwide crowd:

"I want a President who cares more about Barney Smith than about Smith Barney."

Clearly the crowd reaction told Barney Smith that he was not alone.

And then came Senator Dick Durban, the Illinois Senator who had introduced Barack Obama at the 2004 Convention where Barack, not even an elected Senator yet, gave the Keynote address and brought the house down. Dick Durban was back on the podium in 2008 introducing Barack Obama again. This time, though, Barack Obama, was more than the keynote speaker at this Convention. He was the key speaker. He was the 2008 Nominee.

The stadium crowd erupted in adulation for this kid from the wrong side of the tracks who had turned his life around and in so doing turned a lot of other kid's lives around. As Barack, the Talented Orator took off you could feel it even watching the show on TV. This was a night of profound history. As Barack gave his Acceptance Speech it was the 25th Anniversary of the day that Martin Luther King gave his "I have a Dream" speech in Washington, D.C..

At the beginning of this Campaign when the Debate Stages were still filled with such Democratic hopefuls as Dennis Kucinich, Bill Richardson, John Edwards, Joe Biden, Chris Dodd and Hillary Clinton, it was hard to imagine that on this August Night in Denver it would actually be Barack and not Hillary making their acceptance speech. It had been a long, sometimes ugly but always interesting Democratic Primary Campaign. The Democratic Party Convention, even at the beginning of this Convention week looked as though it could still turn ugly again. After all, The Clintons were being featured on two Convention speech nights. Certainly that was dangerous, others must have told Barack Obama and Howard Dean. But if there is one thing that the Clintons understand about Politics it is that politics truly does make some strange bedfellows and that Unity is everything in Democratic Party Politics.

So in the end after this ugly and contentious primary The Clintons came through for Barack Obama and on this beautiful Denver night Barack gave the speech of his lifetime, thus far, anyway. The speech was a well crafted litany of why Barack should be elected and why John McCain should not be. Anyone who has not seen it should see it and hopefully pay attention to it.

In the end the entire Democratic Denver Convention went off very smoothly and it was certainly a love fest for not only Barack and Michelle Obama and their kids. But it was also a love fest for the Clinton's, as well, Those Democratic Stalwarts, who went home from the Denver convention with as many good memories and as much good will as The Obamas and the Bidens.

It had, indeed, been a historic night in Denver and in America Millions of Black Youngsters had been shown just what heights they could aspire to. America would never quite be the same country again.

Sincerely Yours

Jerry Gallagher

And Now For Your Listening Pleasure -The Main Event - From Mile High Stadium - BARACK OBAMA

2008-08-28T07:56:00.000-07:00

Thursday, August 28th, 2008
11:00 AM

My Dear America:

The 2008 Democratic Convention could not have come off any better than it has so far. It has been a love fest for the Clintons and the Obama's featuring nearly every Democratic Luminary in the country. Teddy Kennedy's Rousing speech, Michelle Obama's Impressive speech, Hillary Clinton's Home Run followed by Bill Clinton's short (by his standards) Excellent speech noting the fact that the Republicans back in 1992 called him "too young and inexperienced" also. Bill Clinton is always a hard act to follow but John Kerry and Joe Biden did it as well as any politicians could have.

It was a bit sad to see, John Kerry, the nominee the last time out on the podium in a completely different role than 2004. But Kerry was hard hitting and effective as he pointed out John McCain's numerous Republican faults.

Joe Biden was also clear about his freindship with McCain being a long one but he also zeroed in on the inexplicable changes in John McCain's views over the past few years. Vice Presidential Nominee Biden may have been disappointed by the changes but he certainly used them effectively last night to show that McCain was nothing more than McBush and simply a shell of the progressive maverick that he once had been.

Over the Course of the Convention there have been many Great Speeches by many Great Democrats. Many Great short films have also been featured, such as the ones for Ted Kennedy, Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton.

But tonight comes the night that all Democrats have been waiting for. Among Barack Obama's many leadership qualities perhaps his gift for public speaking may be his most impressive gift. I got the chance to see and hear him during the Pennsylvania Primary at Muhlenberg College Memorial Hall in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Although the speech was basically the same stump speech that I had heard on C Span many times before, Barack Obama seemed to be able to make it somehow more relevant in person than it had been on television. It was a packed hall and most speakers would probably have been intimidated or at least tired from many months of campaigning. But Barack was relaxed and on message when he spoke that night. He was not in any way a showboater. He was just a truly Great public speaker.

No matter how many people show up tonight I don't believe that it will make much difference to Barack. He is going to be speaking on the anniversary occasion of Martin Luther King's "I have a Dream" speech. He will be speaking to a crowd of Democrats many of whom just participated in his Nomination as the Democratic Nominee for President of the United States. He is also going to be speaking to millions of Democrats, Republicans and Independents over the Television airwaves.

As Barack said last night when he arrived for the last couple of minutes of the Convention "Hillary Clinton Rocked the House Last Night". Tonight it will be Barack Obama Rocking Mile High Stadium and like may of his fellow Democratic speakers at this week's Convention he too will be "hitting it out of the park".

Sincerely Yours

Jerry Gallagher

Its Monday Night Live in Denver at the Michelle and Teddy Show

2008-08-25T21:17:00.000-07:00

August 25th, 2008
12:20 AM

My Dear America:

The First Night of The Democratic Convention in Denver was truly a memorable night for two Reasons. Those two reasons were Teddy Kennedy (and Family) and Michelle Obama (and family).

There were quite a few interesting speeches such as that by Jerry Kellerman, who hired Barack Obama to be an Organizer in the South Side of Chicago when Obama was just graduating from Columbia University. Clearly Barack's old boss liked him, respected him and still considered Barack a friend. There was also Jim Leach, a former Iowa Congressman who prior to running for office, left the Nixon Administration when Nixon fired Archibald Cox and others in the Saturday Night Massacre, which led to the final downfall and humiliation of Richard Nixon. Leach, I am sure did not make any friends in the Republican party tonight as he endorsed the candidacy of Barack Obama. Claire MCaskell and her children were impressive also, as were Caroline Kennedy introducing her "Uncle Teddy" Kennedy and Michelle Obama's brother introducing her.

The night belonged, however, to "Uncle Teddy" Kennedy, who, against his doctor's advice, came to Denver anyway tonight to show the Democratic Party where he stood and who he stood behind. Although Teddy Kennedy has done his share of shameful things in his life it was hard to watch Ted Kennedy tonight as a Democrat without feeling an extreme amount of Pride. Clearly Ted Kennedy even in his deteriorating health can still give a Firebrand Speech and although his speech wasn't as fiery as some he has given at previous Democratic Conventions it was still a barn burner and it lit up this convention floor. As he promised to be there in January to watch Barack take the oath of office his energy and his vigor made it seem like he might truly be on his way to full recovery and may yet return to the Senate in good health.

Speaking of Good Health, Michelle Obama seemed to be the picture of beauty, good health and good looks as she closed down the First day of the Convention with a speech that showed that she may be a new kind of First Lady, feisty, sexy and opinionated possibly beyond even Hillary Clinton. In Michelle's speech she once again mentioned the cracks in the glass ceiling that Hillary had made for the daughters and sons of the future. Following Michelle's speech Barack's image showed up on the Giant Onstage Screen and his youngest daughter in what was an adorably unscripted moment asked Barack on the giant screen "Daddy, what city are you in". Barack calmly explained that he was in Kansas City, where he had watched Michelle's speech and expressed his admiration for her eloquence and her being "Cute".

It was, overall, a Great night for the Democrats and a good start for the Convention.

Sincerely Yours

Jerry Gallagher

Welcome to Demoland from Barack O and Regular Joe

2008-08-25T17:13:00.000-07:00

August 25th, 2008

My Dear America:

Well, Democrats the day has finally come.

It has been a long haul from those early 2008 January days of Iowa and New Hampshire when the possibility of Barack Obama's name being considered for the Democratic Party's Nomination for President seemed like a pipe dream that only Barack and a select few were having.

This week that long shot pipe dream will become a reality in Denver, Colorado at the Democratic Party Convention where Barack will become the Democratic Party's annointed One and Delaware Senator, Joe Biden, will become the Democratic Party's choice for Barack's Vice Presidential running mate.

From where I sit, at home, in my easy chair watching this spectacle unfold on Television I am somewhat envious of my fellow Democrats sitting on the Convention floor in Denver. They are watching something that is truly historical. A black man is not only running for President of the United States but has a very good chance of being successful at winning the presidency. Who in the world would have thought this would ever have happened in America. But it has happened. He is running and if he is able to bring this Democratic Convention together, which I am sure he can and will do, he is well on his way to his Innauguration in January of 2009.

Can it happen. Yes it Can

Will it Happen. I believe it will.

I, like many other Hillary Clinton supporters was disappointed that she will not be the Candidate for either President or Vice President.

But Hillary when she lost her opportunity she lost it with class and very soon after her concession did her best to throw her support to Barack. It was in my estimation, Hillary's finest hour, until now.

Now, Tomorrow, in Denver, Hillary will take the stage and soak up the adulation that, until now was reserved for her husband. Bill will also get his share of Respect this week but Tomorrow night, Tuesday night, will certainly be Hillary's night. It will be a night she certainly deserves. It will be a sad night for those of us who are having trouble understanding why it didn't happen for her but did for Obama.

But after tomorrow, Democrats, will come Wednesday, with Bill Clinton and Joe Biden on tap, among others. And Thurday Night in Mile High Stadium it will be Barack Obama's night. And what a night that will be. Barack blew the lid off the arena in Boston when he spoke four years ago.

Is that all it was. Four Years ago.

In Boston Barack showed what he had and I don't think that there was a Democrat that heard him giving that speech that didn't realize that this was a Democratic Politician who was going places.

What we didn't realize back then, when Barack was not even a national politician yet, was just how fast this guy was going places.

This week the place he is going is to Denver.

Its probably a good thing that he is giving his speech in a stadium so that there is no roof to blow off when this Extraordinary Public Speaker gives the most extraordinary speech of his life. This is a Convention that will long be remembered and in my opinion Barack Obama will not only set this Convention on fire he is going to leave this convention spreading his message of Hope like a wildfire across America.

America is hungry for change and if Democrats can survive the Republican smear machine which is in high gear right now and stay together there is no stopping this Dynamic Democratic Ticket.

Stay Together Democrats.

This election is ours if we can stay together

Sincerely Yours

Jerry Gallagher

BACKFIRE - Barack Obama On The Road in The Middle East and Europe

2008-07-26T09:26:00.000-07:00

July 26th, 2008

My Dear America

My strong advice to John McCain is be careful what you ask for.

You just might get it.

McCain certainly got what he had asked for this week. Chances are he is very sorry now that he pushed the issue so hard.

McCain had badgered Barack Obama for a long time about his lack of experience in foreign policy and in particular about his failure to go to Iraq and see for himself what was happening there. McCain's point seemed to be that without going to Iraq and seeing the show that the American Military Commanders and the Bush Administration allowed U. S Legislators to see, that Obama would not be able to tell for himself what a great job "The Surge" had done in Iraq. McCain hounded Obama like a wolf moving in on a sheep for the kill.

"Why Don't you Go?"

"When are you going", McCain taunted.

McCain is not taunting any longer. Chances are he is sitting together today with his confidantes asking them "What were we thinking."

This week after the gentle prodding of John McCain, Barack Obama took McCain's advice and went to the Middle East and Europe with the anchors of CBS, NBC and ABC all in tow, along with other members of maybe the most prestigious Press Corps of all time. He started in Afghanistan and Pakistan as if to send some sort of message about their importance to the United States in the Middle East. Then Barack moved into Iraq, where it seemed like Iraqi Prime Minister Malaki stunned the Bush Administration ( who had been recently talking about "Time Horizons"for American troop withdrawals with Malaki) and the world with his agreement with Barack Obama's assessment that 16 months, give or take a month or two, would be a perfectly feasable time to get American troops out of Iraq. The message clearly was that Malaki not only could work well with Obama but that they were already on the same page when it came to the pullout out of American troops from Iraq.

Who knew that "Time Tables", "Time Lines" and "Time Horizons" were exactly the same things.

While he was in the Middle East Barack decided to stop by and meet with some Israeli Political Up and Comers.

In the end Barack not only made it out of the Middle East Gaffe Free but with apparently successful contacts ready to work with him in every country he visited, especially in Iraq, which had to really gall President Bush, as well as John McCain. The truth was that everywhere Barack Obama had visited in this MIddle East trip things could not have gone any better than they actually did go.

Now it was on to Europe where the American Charmer meeting with the leader of France made the appearance of two very friendly world leaders holding a news conference together. To those in the White House and the McCain Campaign this was a sight that was disturbing enough to make them drop their ""Freedom Fries" on the floor.

Before he was done Barack Obama had also, like other Presidents before him, Kennedy and Reagan, spoke to an overflow crowd in Germany.

CAN'T THIS GUY DO ANYTHING WRONG.

Hey, John McCain, any more advice about what Barack Obama should do.

Sincerely Yours

Jerry Gallagher

Greetings From Unity, New Hampshire

2008-07-14T12:18:00.000-07:00

July 14th, 2008

My Dear America

It has been several weeks since Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton got together for their First Post Primary Appearance together on the Road in Unity, New Hampshire. It was an appropriate place for both Candidates to get together for the first time since Hillary acknowledged Barack's Primary win. The name of the town was appropriate, as was the fact that both Barack and Hillary had won an equal number of votes there in that long ago New Hampshire Primary Election that had been Hillary's first squeaker of a primary win.

It was certainly a sight to see and hear for Democrats looking to move on to the next stage of the election. The Dream Team of Barack and Hillary was up and running, at least thats what it looked like and thats what those of us who had supported Hillary in the Primary Election hoped for. Despite Unity Day in New Hampshire, however, the Obama Camp seems to have gone out of their way since to make it clear that the search for a Vice Presidential Running mate for Barack Obama is far from over.

There has also been the issue of Hillary's campaign debts, which Obama's well funded campaign handlers seem to resent being asked to help with. Clearly they have a point. Hillary staying in the race too long caused her own debt. Why should the Obama Campaign share in that debt even if Hillary does end up as the Vice Presidential Candidate. Although Barack, himself, seems to be more open to helping Hillary, he and his campaign is bound by legal limitations, which I am sure Barack is not unhappy about. Barack does seem to be willing to help Hillary by interceding with his backers to help her. it is anybodys guess how that will go in the long run.

When Barack and Hillary got together in New Hampshire last month Barack Obama was considerably ahead of John McCain in virtually every poll by as many as 15 percentage points. In a poll reported today, July 14th, Barack's lead has shrunk to just 3 or 4 percentage points. Why has Barack's lead been shrinking. Who truly knows. For Democrats, however, this is very very bad news.

Some of the reasons for the incredible shrinking polls may be some of the following: Racism is not dead in the United States in either the Republican or Democratic Parties. We also have several Third Party groups who are organizing and presenting their own fringe Candidates for President like former U. S Representative, Cynthia Mckinney (Green Party), Former U.S. Representative, Bob Barr (Libertarian Party) and Ralph Nader (Nader Party), among others. We have also seen Barack Obama indicate a shift to the Center on certain issues. This may have gained him some supporters but some of his views such as indicating that his view on pulling out of Iraq might change may have angered some of his long time supporters. Also another factor that may be in play is the uncertainty of what Hillary Clinton's role is going to be in the Obama Campaign. Clearly there are some Clinton supporters who have no use for Obama and no matter what he does they will not be satisfied. What seemed to be very clear throughout the Primary was that there appeared to be two well organized camps. Hillary has done what she can to bring her supporters into the the Obama Democtratic Camp. Now it is up to Barack to take a chance and once and for all bring the Clintonites home.

There is no way to guarantee that the Clinton Supporters will stick with Barack even if he offers Hillary the Vice Presidency. It certainly seems clear today, however, that this is a gamble that needs to be taken.

Sincerely Yours

Jerry Gallagher

Its Mid June And The Race Is On

2008-06-19T07:37:00.000-07:00

June 19th, 2008

My Dear America:

Sorry I haven't communicated with you in awhile. In addition to what has been happening on the campaign trail I have been dealing with a lot of things on my own trail. Some very good things and some awful things.

I don't want to jam up this Blog with a lot of personal issues, though. Let me just talk about some of the more important things that have happened in the presidential campaign during the past month.

As predicted by everyone, President Clinton, er excuse me, Senator Clinton finally and gracefully bowed out of the race. Although she was soundly criticized for staying in the race to the end, she did so. When it was clear after the last early June races that it was over for her she had a very fine Last Hurrah speech on primary election night but did not announce that she was quitting the race only suspending the campaign. The Talking Heads of course criticized her for not wrapping it up that election night but Hillary Clinton, to her credit, did not do it the way she was expected to but the way she wanted to.

On the Saturday after her last primary election night speech she ended the speculation in a big way. She had a rally of her supporters in D.C. and went out in a blaze of glory and class. She wrapped it up in a way that brought tears to the eyes of her supporters. Although she must have been dying inside she kept it together and gave her incredible speech. In that speech she enthusiastically threw her support to Barack Obama and the Democratic Primary was finally over and the party headed on down the road to unity.

There are those who will resist unity for many reasons but in the end this race will come down to two candidates, John McCain and Barack Obama. Two candidates and two political and Philosophical agendas that couldn't be more different. There will be a clear choice this November and all of the indicators show that voters will vote for a new future and not just a continuation of the abominable policies of the last 7 years.

I watched a tape this morning of Barack's wife, Michelle Obama, sitting in as a co-host on The View. This girl is bright, beautiful, a good mother and is not afraid to be herself. She even had kind words for Laura Bush who had previously had kind words for her.

What a truly historic impact these two people, Barack and Michelle Obama, are going to have when the Obama family moves into the White House and the winds of change once again blow through Washington, D.C. and from there out across our country.

You need a change America.
We all need a change.
Hold On, Its coming.

Sincerely Yours
Jerry Gallagher

Down To The Wire in West Virginia And Kentucky

2008-05-13T07:10:00.000-07:00

May 13th, 2008

My Dear America

It seems like a lifetime since I wrote to you last and, in fact, it has been. In this Democratic Primary Season a day is a lifetime. Three Months is like a century in this race. Although my blog has been inactive for awhile I haven't been, though. When the Political Rock Stars traveled through my area (The Lehigh Valley Area of Pennsylvania) I went to see them. I saw both Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. I didn't see and hear Hillary Clinton though because when she came to town on a Sunday I was just returning to Allentown from the Greenbriar Mountains of Pennsylvania where I had spent a Rock and Roll extended weekend with some band buddies.

Bill Clinton looked Great when I saw him at Muhlenberg College's Memorial Hall. He was tall and relatively skinny and walked around a large stage in front of a Giant American Flag. I went to see Barack with My married daughter and two of her kids. The kids were great, for the most part, but they had to wait a long time and finally they started begging to be taken home. When Barack came out onto his tiny platform they were as excited as my daughter and I. Barack was a wonderful speaker, as was Bill, but the Barack moment was marred by the fact that the umbrellas we had been forced to leave in boxes outside Memorial Hall were stolen. Both Barack and Bill spoke at the same place, Memorial Hall at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, PA.

My family was "A Tale Of Two Candidates" throughout the Pennsylvania Primary. My married Daughter was a Barack supporter (Still Is) and my second youngest daughter was a Hillary supporter to begin with. My Youngest Daughter never mentioned who she was supporting . She just went and voted on election day without a word about who she chose. My second youngest daughter became a even more of a Super Hillary Supporter when the husband of her boss, Congressman Rob Andrews, A Superdelegate from New Jersey, took my daughter along with his own to a party for Superdelegates at the Clinton's D.C. home. When she got a chance to get a picture taken with Hillary she told Hillary that our family had a cottage right down the road from Hillary's at Lake Winola outside of Scranton. Hillary asked the family name and when my daughter said Houlihan Hillary jumped up and down saying "Sure, I know the Houlihans". Anyway my daughter got her picture taken with Hillary and I sent it by E Mail to everyone on my E Mail List. Hillary recognizing my mother's family name at Lake Winola. That did it for me. I was on the fence before. But after hearing about that and seeeing the pictures of my Daughter and Hillary I was hooked on voting for Hillary, At least in the PA Primary. My Hillary loving wife and Daughter have accused me of voting for Obama in the PA Primary but I did not. I voted for Hillary and my candidate won in PA.

Now its down the road right before the West Virginia and Kentucky Primaries and the Pennsylvania Primary seems like a distant memory. If you listen to Television Talking Heads Hillary hasn't got a chance. To be honest I think its time that Hillary and Barack get together at some God Forsaken place off the beaten path out of the reach of TV Cameras and lock themselves in a room until they negotiate a peace treaty with each other and an agreement to run together for the good of the party and the good of the country.

We can't allow the Democrats to snatch Defeat from the Jaws of Certain Victory. Not this time. Hell No

Sincerely Yours

Jerry Gallagher

The Eyes of Texas are Upon Them

2008-02-24T08:49:00.000-08:00

February 24th, 2008

My Dear America:

One thing about this years Presidential Campaign that I love is that it is never boring. Well almost never.

Certainly this week is one of those more interesting weeks. There was, of course, the Texas Debate between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama last Thursday night. There was probably more civility in that debate than most we have seen. Both Hillary and Barack made their points, mostly the same points that they have made in previous debates. The difference in this debate from most of the others was the rather strange but welcome interruption of the political hostilities by Hillary Clinton as she made the point at the end of the debate that she has been blessed in her life and so has Barack and that regardless of what shakes out in this Presidential Primary season they both will be "fine." Hillary ended up talking about how proud she was to be on that stage with Obama. It was hard to read from what happened what Message Hillary was really trying to convey. Was she giving up? Was she ending her Presidential Campaign and turning over the reins to Barack Obama?

Not a chance. Just days later the fur was flying between Hillary and Barack again. Hillary was unhappy about what she felt was Barack's misinterpretation of her involvement in the Clinton Administration. Once again we see that between these two it aint over til its over.

Barack's wife, Michelle Obama, also got herself in some political hot water last week by making a comment about the fact that after a long period of time she was finally proud of her country. Naturally the Republican pundits pounced on this like it was red meat that they could chew on and spit out for a long time. Clearly Michelle was not saying anything other than she was proud of her husband and his campaign but to hear the Republicans tell it Michelle was an Anti American Liberal Shameful Hussey.

Probably this story would have dragged Michelle Obama through the mud much longer but then along came a story in the New York Times that knocked everything else off page one all over the country. The story was mainly about the fact that Republican Front Runner, John McCain, who has presented himself over these many years as a political reformer, may have, indeed, been influenced himself by lobbyists during the time that he had advocated reducing lobbyist influence. If that, in itself, had been the heart of the story it probably would have died a quick death within a few days. Unfortunately for McCain, or perhaps fortunately, the story had a couple of sentences which pointed to a concern on the part of former McCain staffers that it had been suspected by McCain people 8 years ago during his ill fated campaign for the Presidency that McCain was having an affair with Telecommunications Lobbyist, Vickie Issacson. Talk about lobbyist influence.

Suddenly and without warning this boring 8 year old story of lust, legislators and lobbyists had turned McCains Right Wing Radio Talk Show Tormentors into McCain supporters. McCain's campaign strategists had been trying to figure out how to make this happen since it became obvious to all concerned that McCain was going to be the Republican standard bearer in 2008. Now here it was Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Bill O'Reilly all together defending McCain instead of running him down. It was extraordinary and all it took was a marriage threatening embarassing story run by The New York Times. Suddenly it was this left leaning national newspaper, which supposedly had been sitting on the story for a long time and had also endorsed McCain as their choice to win the Republican Primary that was being demonized again by the right. It was truly manna from heaven for the McCain Campaign.

It is so strange right now to be observing Rush Limbaugh rushing to John McCain's defense. Limbaugh is now castigating The New York Times for "trying to destroy" John McCain's Presidential bid. According to Limbaugh it is unforgivable that The New York Times is trying to destroy John McCain. Yet only a week ago it was more than OK for Rush to be working daily to destroy John McCain.

Incredible. Absolutely Incredible. But I am sure that there are many more incredible surprises to come in this interesting and unpredictable campaign.

Sincerely Yours

Jerry Gallagher

Two Days After Super Tuesday - Goodbye Mitt Romney

2008-02-07T14:26:00.000-08:00

Thursday, February 7th, 2008

My Dear America:

Well It's two days past Super Tuesday and another one bites the dust as the Republican field of prospective candidates has shrunken to two. Mitt Romney is gone after a self serving speech to a roomful of extreme Right Wing conservative Republican fanatics. Romney seemed to be the last best hope to Conservative Republicans despite the fact that he barely won more than a few states outside of Massachusetts. It apparently meant nothing to conservatives that Romney was not a conservative despite his continued verbal homage to Ronald Reagan. Romney showed from the beginning of his campaign for the presidency that he was willing to say and do anything to be elected to the presidency. Although he swore that he was pro choice when he ran for governor of Massachusetts that position went out the window once he decided that he needed the backing of conservatives in his presidential bid. Rudy Giuliani may have been a snake but at least he did not throw out every principle he had ever believed in once he set his sights on the White House. But now both Rudy and Mitt are Presidential Candidates with no future but only a past. They have joined Tom Tancredo in the Republican Candidate scrap heap and all I can say is "Good Riddance." They are gone because the American people are letting the political pundits and party leaders know that they have had it with the conservative agenda. Abraham Lincoln said that "you can fool some of the people some of the time", which the Republicans have done for the past 8 years. Lincoln also wisely pointed out, though, that "you can't fool all of the people all of the time."

over the past 8 years Republicans seemed to care less and less about the voters they were fooling into thinking that they were being helped by the Republican agenda. Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity spewed out their poison like the dangerous snakes they were and rich and poor Republicans adored them. No Longer. These heartless oracles are finding out the hard way that their days are not only numbered. Indeed, their day is almost done. The poor suckers that these meglomaniacs pulled into their web have broken loose. Rush, Sean and Bill do not like John McCain. He is not extreme enough for them. Too bad, they are stuck with him. The Republican Party is stuck with him. I just hope that you, America, are not stuck with him.

McCain is truly a wolf in sheeps clothing. He does have some redeeming qualities. Unlike George Bush and the rest of the Republican candidates, John McCain is truly a war hero. He has also been the prime mover and shaker for some very responsible legislation which has addressed some pressing problems such as Immigration and Campaign Financing. To his credit, McCain voted against the tax cuts for the wealthy when they were presented and put into place by Bush and McCain's fellow Republicans. Not to his credit is the fact that McCain has now, like Mitt Romney before him, changed his position on one of his core issues. Todays John McCain, who fought the powers that be in the Senate over the issue of unfair taxes has seen the Republican light. He now wants to make permanent the tax cuts for the well to do that he would not touch with a ten foot pole when they were first introduced. In addition to this outrage, McCain is also a fervent supporter of the War in Iraq and would have no problem with you, America, staying in that violent and unstable country for a hundred years. On the positive side, McCain has not changed his mind on Iraq and has taken his share of criticism for supporting Bush on Iraq. On the negative side, McCain might very well be supporting mass suicide. That makes just as much sense.

And so it goes in the world of politics. At this point, like it or not, John McCain is a go. He will be the Republican candidate for President and now the Republican spin machine will hold their collective noses and get behind McCain as they begin the process of smearing both of the Democratic front runners. Will McCain be okay with this. Yes he will.

Hopefully, though Hillary and Barack will survive the Republican smear machine and the American electorate will say together

"WE WON'T GET FOOLED AGAIN" and mean it.

Sincerely Yours

Jerry Gallagher

The Turning Point of South Carolina

2008-02-02T10:50:00.000-08:00

January 28th, 2008

My Dear America:

Although I am actually writing this post on February 2nd, I am using the date of January 28th because that was when I first wrote what I thought was a pretty good letter to you, tried to post it and watched the error message come up on my computer apparently sending my letter off into the electronic digital abyss never to be heard from again. Although I will probably not be able to write anything as good as my first try I have two choices. One; forget about it and the Blog or two; try again. I am making the second choice. So here goes.

The past two Saturdays in South Carolina have been monumental. First, a week ago last Saturday, John McCain left this state energized and thrilled that his plan for a "Surge" past Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee had worked in South Carolina. McCain flew into Florida like he was shot out of a cannon ready to work on wiping out his remaining opponents in the Republican Primaries. It is becoming clearer every day that McCain is the man to beat in the Republican Party. He is, what one pundit called "The Gentle Warmonger" which is certainly an accurate description of McCain. Clearly on the war in Iraq McCain is out of touch with the vast majority of Americans when he states that it would not bother him if U.S. Forces "stay in Iraq for a hundred years." It is too bad that McCain is such a disappointment to the Right Wing Fringe who are looking for a Thousand Year Commitment to the Iraq War on the part of the United States. McCain is also a disappointment to those who have admired his Maverick reputation over the years. For instance, gone is McCain's initial opposition to the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy that McCain refused to vote for when they were first passed in the Senate. Now he can't get the Wealthy Welfare Tax Bill passed fast enough. Goodbye Maverick. It was nice knowing you.

On the other side of the political street in South Carolina a very interesting development has occurred. Barack Obama throughout the last week was on the receiving end of a barrage of criticism from not only Hillary Clinton but also from her husband, Former President, Bill Clinton. Bill Clinton not only slammed Obama hard at every speaking engagement in the state he also called Obama a liar, who was not really against the War in Iraq at the outset and was also a Reagan Supporter, as well.

Bill Clinton clearly should have thought more clearly before he went on this weeklong verbal rampage across South Carolina. Although Bill Clinton does not always think with his brain he should have in this case. The end result in South Carolina was staggering. Barak Obama won the South Carolina Primary with a 2 to 1 vote margin of victory over Hillary Clinton. Another bad sign for the Cliintons was the fact that half of the primary voters had not voted in the 2006 Primary.

Today, on the day that George Bush gave his last State Of The Union Speech ( Free at Last, Free at Last, Thank God Almighty we will soon be Free at Last, of him) One of the final nails was driven into Hillary Clinton's Presidential Bid Coffin.

As if the brutal defeat of Hillary (and Bill) in South Carolina wasn't enough bad news for Hillary's Campaign, Ted, Caroline and Patrick Kennedy joined Barack Obama on a college campus stage in Washington, D.C., where Ted gave one of his most passionate speeches ever linking the excitement about Obama's campaign to memories of his brothers campaigns for President. There was no doubt about who was receiving Ted Kennedy's endorsement.

At The State of The Union Speech Barack and Teddy hung out together like Frat Brothers smiling and talking before and after the President's Speech. Hillary kept her distance from Ted and Barack. At one awkward moment she did come over and shook hands with Kennedy but Obama walked away from her. It had to be a sad moment for Hillary and there will clearly be other sad moments to come but who knows what will happen next in this truly historic and unpredictable campaign. It certainly looks like Barack has the momentum right now but Super Tuesday is coming and I have the feeling that it is going to be a night of many shocks and surprises for Democrats and Republicans alike.

Sincerely Yours

Jerry Gallagher