Thoughts on Barack Hussein Obama

This may seem like a totally random note. But there are some things that have been bouncing around in my brain for the past few days, and I have to get them out. No one has to read this. After all, I am one of those closed minded, dogmatic conservative Christians who thinks their way is the only way. How can I possibly have anything intelligent to say about everyone's hero, Barack Obama? But, I digress.

Going into this race, I liked Obama. I liked that he was running against Hilary, and I liked his sweet, family man image. He seemed trustworthy. However, since then I have discovered things about him and the way he thinks, that come from his own mouth, or the mouths of those close to him. Let us explore some of them together.

Strike 1: the oh so Reverend Jeremiah Wright
The pastor of Obama's church, which he has attended for decades preaches sermons that are blatantly, full fledged racist against white people. And when Obama is schedule to make a public apology for this man's speeches, he doesn't! He sticks up for him.

Strike 2: When giving a speech about the importance of a woman's right to choose, Barack stated that if one of his daughters made the mistake of getting pregnant, he wouldn't want them to be punished with a baby. Now, if the horridly wrongness of that statement does not immediately hit you, I'd say there's something wrong. The punishment of a baby!? Wow... I'm not even gonna touch that. But chew on this when you're done with the whole "a baby is actually punishment" concept: this statement shows the mindset of a person who doesn't believe that we should be held responsible for our own actions. Just something to think about.

Strike 3: In some sort of fund raising dinner to a bunch of rich folk out west, Obama stated that these small town Pennsylvanians are bitter because they don't have jobs, so they cling to their guns and their Gods. Oh, another elitist in politics. How refreshing.

And by the way Barack Obama, I'm so happy that you rose to power so that you might progress we Western Pennsylvanians out of our bitterness. On second thought: kiss my "ask".

Strike 4: In a recent speech, his wife tore down America. She said that we are oppressive, and that she is ashamed to fly an American flag. No no no... that's not unpatriotic or anything! Yeah, I want someone whose family hates America to be my next American president! That makes perfect sense...

Disclaimer: This has nothing to do with his race. Too many people say that those of us who don't vote for Barack Obama must be racist, because we won't stand behind the African American cause. Because him becoming president would be such a big step.

I'm all for the African American cause. I am exercising a blind eye to race. I don't care if he's orange, if I think he's gonna run the country well, I'll vote for him. But I don't think he'll run the country well. I'm perfectly fine voting for an African American, Asian American, Indian American or what have you - if I think he would make a good president. But Barack Obama just isn't the man for the job.

My First Blog: Not Written By Me :-)

Below is an article written by Angelina Jolie, and published in the Washington Post. Although for some strange reason, it hasn't gotten much publicity... How curious.

The request is familiar to American ears: "Bring them home."

But in Iraq, where I've just met with American and Iraqi leaders, the phrase carries a different meaning. It does not refer to the departure of U.S. troops, but to the return of the millions of innocent Iraqis who have been driven out of their homes and, in many cases, out of the country.

In the six months since my previous visit to Iraq with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, this humanitarian crisis has not improved. However, during the last week, the United States, UNHCR and the Iraqi government have begun to work together in new and important ways.

We still don't know exactly how many Iraqis have fled their homes, where they've all gone, or how they're managing to survive. Here is what we do know: More than 2 million people are refugees inside their own country -- without homes, jobs and, to a terrible degree, without medicine, food or clean water. Ethnic cleansing and other acts of unspeakable violence have driven them into a vast and very dangerous no-man's land. Many of the survivors huddle in mosques, in abandoned buildings with no electricity, in tents or in one-room huts made of straw and mud. Fifty-eight percent of these internally displaced people are younger than 12 years old.

An additional 2.5 million Iraqis have sought refuge outside Iraq, mainly in Syria and Jordan. But those host countries have reached their limits. Overwhelmed by the refugees they already have, these countries have essentially closed their borders until the international community provides support.

I'm not a security expert, but it doesn't take one to see that Syria and Jordan are carrying an unsustainable burden. They have been excellent hosts, but we can't expect them to care for millions of poor Iraqis indefinitely and without assistance from the U.S. or others. One-sixth of Jordan's population today is Iraqi refugees. The large burden is already causing tension internally.

The Iraqi families I've met on my trips to the region are proud and resilient. They don't want anything from us other than the chance to return to their homes -- or, where those homes have been bombed to the ground or occupied by squatters, to build new ones and get back to their lives. One thing is certain: It will be quite a while before Iraq is ready to absorb more than 4 million refugees and displaced people. But it is not too early to start working on solutions. And last week, there were signs of progress.

In Baghdad, I spoke with Army Gen. David Petraeus about UNHCR's need for security information and protection for its staff as they re-enter Iraq, and I am pleased that he has offered that support. General Petraeus also told me he would support new efforts to address the humanitarian crisis "to the maximum extent possible" -- which leaves me hopeful that more progress can be made.

UNHCR is certainly committed to that. Last week while in Iraq, High Commissioner António Guterres pledged to increase UNHCR's presence there and to work closely with the Iraqi government, both in assessing the conditions required for return and in providing humanitarian relief.

During my trip I also met with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who has announced the creation of a new committee to oversee issues related to internally displaced people, and a pledge of $40 million to support the effort.

My visit left me even more deeply convinced that we not only have a moral obligation to help displaced Iraqi families, but also a serious, long-term, national security interest in ending this crisis.

Today's humanitarian crisis in Iraq -- and the potential consequences for our national security -- are great. Can the United States afford to gamble that 4 million or more poor and displaced people, in the heart of Middle East, won't explode in violent desperation, sending the whole region into further disorder?

What we cannot afford, in my view, is to squander the progress that has been made. In fact, we should step up our financial and material assistance. UNHCR has appealed for $261 million this year to provide for refugees and internally displaced persons. That is not a small amount of money -- but it is less than the U.S. spends each day to fight the war in Iraq. I would like to call on each of the presidential candidates and congressional leaders to announce a comprehensive refugee plan with a specific timeline and budget as part of their Iraq strategy.

As for the question of whether the surge is working, I can only state what I witnessed: U.N. staff and those of non-governmental organizations seem to feel they have the right set of circumstances to attempt to scale up their programs. And when I asked the troops if they wanted to go home as soon as possible, they said that they miss home but feel invested in Iraq. They have lost many friends and want to be a part of the humanitarian progress they now feel is possible.

It seems to me that now is the moment to address the humanitarian side of this situation. Without the right support, we could miss an opportunity to do some of the good we always stated we intended to do.

Angelina Jolie, an actor, is a UNHCR goodwill ambassador.