Obama, and the day America Changed

By Larry Lubell
Some events really do change the world. Often we don't recognize their gravity till years later. Last night history was made, and I do believe most people watching understood they were witnessing a critical turning point in American history.

America is the greatest country earth has yet to produce, not because our history is not filled with mistakes; but because we learn from, and correct those mistakes. We don't burn "Witches" any longer, and collectively we have come to view our westward expansion in the context of the horrors perpetrated against the indigenous population. Truth is, the list of errors, missteps and injustices that are part of our nations history is long, and often, painful to admit. Large segments of our society turned a blind eye to the suffering and mistreatment that made up the daily lives of other Americans. But of all of those evils, slavery stands out as the darkest chapter in our nations history.


Even before we were a nation we were already deep in to the horrors of slavery. In 1663 the Maryland legislature enacted a law that stated " all Negroes and other slaves within the province, and all Negroes and other slaves to be thereafter imported into the province, should serve during life; and all children born of any Negro should be slaves, as their fathers were, for the term of their lives."
There were approximately 645,000 black African shipped to what is now the United States and by the time of the 1860 Census, The slave population in the United States had grown to over four million. It is hard to imagine the nightmare of being kidnapped form your home, brought around the world to be sold, then forced to work 14 hour days or to be whipped and tortured at the whim of a man whose position was determined by the color of his skin. It was not unusual for enslaved black women to be raped by their "owners", or for children to be sold and permanently separated from their families.


Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation of January 1, 1863 was a turning point for our nation. Lincoln explained his disgust towards slavery, and justification for emancipation by declaring
"If slavery is not wrong, nothing is wrong"!
But the end to slavery, while a step, was followed by the Jim Crow laws that legalized segregation between blacks and whites. In 1896 in Plessy v. Ferguson, the Supreme Court ruled that separate facilities for whites and blacks were constitutional, resulting in generations of African American Americans growing up in an America who's laws designated that they should be forced into separate schools, required by law to sit in the back of the bus, or a few segregated tables at the lunch counter. It was not till 58 years later that Thurgood Marshall took the case Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kans. and gto the Supreme Court to declare separate facilities by race to be unconstitutional.



While the official laws of this nation slowly started to turn, often the unofficial practices moved at a slower pace. Groups like the KKK, terrorized, and killed blacks in an attempt to keep them from obtaining justice or equality.In fact, between 1880 and 1951, the Tuskegee Institute recorded 3,437 lynchings of African-Americans. It was into this reality that Martin Luther King was born, and it was this world that he sought to, and succeeded in changing.The Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the Fair Housing Act of 1968 finally ended the legal sanctions, but the gap in opportunity, and discrimination still continued. Time, and the work of so many people have brought our country closer to King's dream, yet some of the legacies still remain.

It was into that present day America that last night Obama stepped on to a stage in Chicago, with his wife and his two young daughters and before a crowd of 125,000 thanked all America for making him The president-elect. As the cameras paned out across the tens of thousands of faces, Kings "Dream" seemed in part realized. The sea of faces really did look like America. And I have to say as a "White American" it made me proud.


America is a great place, because we have learned from,our past, and while still flawed we took another important step at building a more perfect union.


Larry Lubell
Urban News Blog

Can you "Trust" the polls?

Larry Lubell

With the election just a few days away, polls show Senator Barack Obama has a built considerable lead over John McCain, but just how reliable are those figures.

The Bradley effect is named after former Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley, an African-American who ran for California governor in 1982. All of the California news papers had Bradley out in front of his Republican George Deukmejian.

On the day of the election, Exit polls confirmed Bradley wide lead; But Bradley and his supporters were surprised to find were wrong. After the contest pundits declared he lost due to "White voters" telling the pollsters "Sure I'll vote for a "Black man" but when they got behind the curtain, they just could not pull the lever.

ill CNN's senior political analyst,Schneider, said that if there is racism in this year's election, it's probably already showing up in the polls. And CNN's polling director,Keating Holland, pointed out another important fact
"We've never had a black presidential candidate as a major nominee, so the polls don't have any history at all when it comes to national elections," he said.

I think this is a very difference contest, not just because maybe we "Grew-up" a bit in the last 15 years, but also because these to candidates are polar opposites.
I have a number of close friends that I can say with total confidence:
1. Will not vote for Obama
2. Are not even slightly racist.

McCain and Obama have very different agendas and plan on setting distinct paths towards their vision.Anyone that would not want to vote for Obama do to race, could easily list a number of very credible reasons for casting their vote for McCain. This greatly reduces the "Need" for one to lie.

AVERAGE: Obama 50, McCain 43. (Obama +7%)

Method......................Latest Poll Per State
Obama...........................362
McCain..........................166
Poll of Polls
Obama...........................347
McCain...........................166
Rasmussen Reports
Obama...........................344
McCain...........................194
Quinnipiac
Obama...........................269
McCaine.........................128

There is however a very different factor effecting the reliability of the numbers. More and more people are dropping their "Landlines". When faced with the cost of both holding onto traditional phones plugged into a wall jack, as well as their cell phones; many choose just the cell. Fourteen percent of Americans now do not have landline phones and Pollsters normally don't call cell phones

Scott Keeter, who conducted a study for the Pew Research Center,says non-landline users are like others in their young demographic on political matters, but may differ on other issues

They are most likely to be under 30, unmarried, renters, making less than $30,000 a year, and are slightly more likely to be black or Hispanic, says Keeter.

"The fact that they are very different is the potential problem for polling," Keeter says.
Pollsters have learned. a lot from the small number of cell users they have been able to reach.. "It suggests that if there are enough of them, and you are missing them in your landline surveys, then your polls will have a bias because of that."

"It's not just cell phones, it is also VOIP" (Voice over Internet Provider), said Alan Craine, a telecommunications executive.. Vonage, Skype and all of the other I. P. based connections are often invisible to pollsters, you also have the "Do not Call List" out there today.

Telecommunications are forever changing said Mr. Craine.

With the election just over two weeks away, poll numbers showing Obama leading over John McCain, can switch quickly. Events change, candidates make mistakes, skeletons pop-up, and they are not always just Halloween decorations. All of this leaves us questioning, just how reliable are these figures.

This Stock Market is making me Nauseous

Wall Street had one of it's best days ever, the Dow Jones industrials we sent soaring almost 900 points. That would be fantastic if it was not coming after week of disaster and investors did not have the feeling that the market could turn on them in an instant.

52-Week Low 10/10/08 7,882.51
52-Week High 10/31/07 13,962.53

Range = 6,080.02

A range of over 6,000 points one year is insane.

Which makes me ask this question, can you tell the difference between

This .................. . or .......... . This

McCain, I expected more from you

Larry Lubell

John McCain has a long history of serving America, In October 1967 he was shot down, badly injured, and captured by the North Vietnamese. there he remained a prisoner of war until 1973. He was subjected to unimaginable torture yet re refused to say or do those things that could have ended his suffering. To this day he still carries the scars of those days. He left the military and moved into politics being elected to the house in 1982, then elected to the U.S. Senate in 1986 where he still serves today.

John McCain has a long history of being a "Right of center" senator, yet he also has a record of working across party aisles with Republicans and Democrats alike to reform campaign finance system and Immigration .
While he was well known for having a temper, there was a feeling that he was a fair and decent guy, that could rise above partisanship and "put the country first"

It is with that in mind that I express my disappointment over the direction and tone that his campaign has taken. Rather that a discussion between two intelligent, informed candidates with different views on the direction forward; McCain has allowed his campaign managers, Running mate, and crowds to lower the race to base name calling and hate speech.

Activists at McCain / Palin rallies talk openly about Obama being linked to terrorists, or being a terrorist, claiming he has ties to Islam, and that he has some kind of "Secret evil agenda". Followers have been sending viral emails that have worked their way around the Internet for over a year now. To McCain's credit, in the early days of the campaign, he made several statements separating himself from those comments. But As he falls in the polls he has stopped making such corrections, and now seems to be encouraging such inaccurate statements, while keeping just enough distance.

"Terrorist!”
At a New Mexico rally, "Terrorist” screamed a follower. At a later rally when againMcCain called out to the crowd “Who is the real Barack Obama? a woman yelled "He's a damn liar!” "Get him. He's bad for our country."
"Obama Osama!" one woman called out at another rally. And it is not just a few in the crowd, twice this week, hand selected local officials have warmed up the crowd with cries of “Barack Hussein Obama.


A McCain aide said they tell individuals speaking before every event not to do so. “Sometimes people just do what they want,” explained the aide.
But that raises the question, If you can't control your supporters, how can you control the nation.

John Weaver, McCain’s former top strategist, said top Republicans have a responsibility to temper this behavior.
“People need to understand, for moral reasons and the protection of our civil society, the differences with Senator Obama are ideological, based on clear differences on policy and a lack of experience compared to Senator McCain,” Weaver said. “And from a purely practical political vantage point, please find me a swing voter, an undecided independent, or a torn female voter that finds an angry mob mentality attractive.”

“Senator Obama is a classic liberal with an outdated economic agenda. We should take that agenda on in a robust manner. As a party we should not and must not stand by as the small amount of haters in our society question whether he is as American as the rest of us. Shame on them and shame on us if we allow this to take hold.”

In Florida, Sarah Palin attacked Obama as someone who "pals around" with terrorists, ( based on an exaggerated account of Obama's relationship with Bill Ayers, a 1960's radical turned college professor) As she spoke their relationship, the crowd booed and one man shouted, "Kill him!"
Palin also repeats "This is not a man who sees America like you and I see America. We see America as a force of good in this world. We see an America of exceptionalism."

I do believe that John McCain loves America, and as a member of government, as a person paid by the people he has an obligation to speak out against that kind of hate speech. It lowers him, it lowers respect in our country, and it is dangerous. It is this kind of "rhetoric that leads to some nut picking up a gun.

I know he wants to win, and I am sure he believes that he is the better candidate. Of course he has no obligation to sing Obama's praises, but he does have a moral obligation to set the record straight, and to take his supporters to task if people are behaving in an offensive and dangerous manner. Ultimately, it reflects badly of McCain, and frankly I have come to expect McCain to exhibit a higher level of discourse.

The rich get richer!

With the stock market in free-fall Banks around the world poised for collapse, and our elected officials talking about a trying to avoid a worldwide depression: I just received an email from Bentley telling me about their new, more deluxe version of the Arnage.

I'm not sure what is wrong with their marketing team that they believe that I might be a possible customer, but it is fun to pretend.

They begin by telling me how the auto is very exclusive. and that they will limit the edition to just 150 cars worldwide. This is truly good to know, otherwise I would expect to see one of these $275,000 cars parked in every driveway.
"Through a combination of commitment and timeless tradition, the Arnage Final Series is destined to become a true British classic".

"The sumptuously crafted interior of the Arnage Final Series features a waistrail with inset chrome strip and recessed Bentley marque badges, a leather steering wheel that has taken more than 15 hours of hand stitching, along with a burr walnut cocktail cabinet and veneered picnic tables."
When I read the car comes with a "Burr walnut veneered picnic tables", I can't help but find it difficult to picture the passengers actually making their own lunch. I find the image of the "Staff" preparing this "Picnic". Perhaps, the very thought that I would object to someone eating in my new $275,000 car, proves I can't afford to own one of these automotive works of art.

Of course I am not surprised by the fact the car sips gas at a rate of 9.8mpg Urban, clearly, the cost of petrol is beneath concern. That said I am a bit surprised by some of the options that do not come as standard equipment. For example the Silk Curtains to Rear Compartment will set you back an additional $9,490. And what's the use of having the curtain with out having a need for privacy, like maybe when you use the Entertainment Combination system that can be added for just $34,290.

Max. Speed 179mph / 288km/h
Acceleration 0 - 60mph 5.2 seconds
Acceleration 0 - 100km/h 5.5 seconds
Acceleration 0 - 100mph 12.1 seconds

The thing about buying a car like this is that you are buying into a "Lifestyle"
So how can you just skip over the matching luggage (sold separately)
For example this bag can be yours for just $2,500.

Well with all of the forclosures, Pink slips and general hard times that we find ourselves in today, it is nice to know that there will always be those that have a different set of problems; like should I buy the car in black or silver.
Larry Lubell

Four Confess in Hanging of Obama Effigy

Larry Lubell
UrbanNewsBlog

Just to make sure, I checked my calendar, and confirmed that yes we are indeed in the year 2008, not 1908.

I would love to tell myself that America has moved away from overt racism and the vial hate that flows from those that hold such views. That now questions of "Class" have replaced hard-core racism.

I have been following the story that a effigy of Barack Obama was found hanging from a tree on the campus of George Fox Christian university University in Oregon. Today the Christian university said it has punished four students who confessed to hanging a likeness of Obama from the tree.

This kind of incident could be written off as the outrageous acts of a hand full of extremists. That would be upsetting, but easy to discount as statistical anomalies; the more unnerving part is the response of many of the readers of the article who left comments demonstrating that after reading the piece, they came- away with the idea that the four students were somehow the victims. With a choice of words I can picture coming only from people wearing a "White Hoods"; one of the comments included:

Stevie D
Too bad they didn't get the real Obama and all his stupid liberal views. Take his racist wife too.

SurpriseOctober
How did they know it was an "Obama effigy"? Did it have a tape recorder attached that droned on and on and on about "Hope" and "Change"?

It is clear, that while much of "Main stream" America has moved away from this type of overt racism, there are still those that refuse to abandon their vial hate-filled views. Instead of an overly optimistic conclusion that we Americans have left this garbage in our past, I need to take some solace in the fact that at least the center has moved. With Obama, the likely next president of the United States; this story show simultaneously how far America has come; as well as how much further we still have to travel.

UrbanNewsBlog
Urban Insurance Agency

Congress Fails to act - Heaven Help Us !

by Larry Lubell

The House of Representatives, on a 228-205 vote, failed to pass the $700 Billion dollar bill seen by many as our last, best hope at rescuing the financial industry.

Over the weekend, it seemed as if our Law makers would have a moment of clarity. where they put the good of the nation over the easiest campaign slogan to sell. That they would actually "Lead" rather than take a poll; sadly that was not the case.
Too many lawmakers apparently refused to go along with the unpopular legislation with elections just five weeks away.

The compromised plan, which is designed to stabilize U.S. credit markets by freeing up some badly needed capital working and attempting to put a bottom to the crises; needed 218 votes for passage. But it came up 13 votes short. The final vote was 228 to 205 against with about 60% of Democrats voted for the measure, but less than a third of the Republicans backing it.

"We're all worried about losing our jobs," Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., declared in an impassioned speech in support of the bill before the vote.

"Most of us say, 'I want this thing to pass, but I want you to vote for it — not me. "
"We're in this moment, and if we fail to do the right thing, Heaven help us," Ryan added.

After news that the deal had been done; Investors who had been counting on the rescue plan sent the Dow Jones plummeting 700 points as it became clear the measure failed to get the necessary Republican support,

"Our time has run out," said Rep. Spencer Bachus, the ranking Republican on the House Financial Services Committee. "We're going make a decision. There are no other choices, no other alternatives."

Barney Frank, D-Mass.warned: "Today is the decision day. If we defeat this bill today, it will be a very bad day for the financial sector of the American economy and the people who will feel the pain are not the top bankers and top corporate executives but average Americans."

This crisis has been hitting the African Americans and Hispanic communities particularly hard. It was often these communities that were targeted by many of the predatory loan companies that caused many of the financial problems working through the market today. People were "UP-Sold" into homes that they could not afford, sometimes at inflated prices. The real estate brokers working with Mortgage brokers, would bend rules, find "Loop-Holes" often with a "Wink and a Nod" from banks that knew they could package these loans up and sell them in a game of "Hot Potato". Take your cut, but just don't get stuck holding the hot potato.

In 1990, Nationwide, 73 percent of whites owned homes, while that number was just 46 percent of African Americans and Hispanics. There was a push, in large part by African American lawmakers, to increase home ownership in minority areas. This was seen as a way out of being a part of the "Working poor". It was also seen as a way to stabilize an area and reduce crime. Fannie Mae was seen as a way to help get loans to those that needed them. But as is often the case, an attempt to help those in need, was seen by some as a license to steal.

There were TV shows promising riches by following others success "Buying then Flipping" homes. We were all sold on the idea that we could by a home, slap on a coat of paint, plant a few flowers, then burn a scented candle furring the open house- and in two weeks clear a $20,000 profit. Suddenly we were all Donald Trump.

All common sense legislation, and reasonable regulation was dismantled. Congress appointed the foxes to guard to henhouse, and then we trusted their monthly count of the number and health of the chickens. Each person whose job it was to check the health of the hens, just passed the responsibility down the line. Wall Street was the place stuck holding the hot potato; therefore, it is there that many will list as the "Personification of evil."

This disaster was caused by greed from the bottom up, and a complete brake-down of any "Adults" standing in the way of what were obviously bad deals.
1. Loans with no money down.
2. People that did not qualify for the loans without short-term temporary interest only ARMS.
3. Stated Income loans (A loan that encouraged lying)
4. Inflated home prices, and loans to large areas filled with new track homes where very few had any equity, and even a small fall in values would lead to collapsing prices.

JIm Cramer had been pushing hard for this bail-out plan, that he called the "Invest in America Plan." He was outraged at the inability for the Lawmakers to get this done.

"We needed it. Without it, the stock market will now reflect a series of assumptions":
1. Worldwide economic collapse;

2. A depression that is a sequel equal to the Great Depression;

3. Many, many more bank collapses than we have had already; and

4. Much more unemployment and many, many foreclosures.

"I don't want to bury the punchline, but when you add these worst-case prices together you get Dow Jones 8378, which, reluctantly, I admit is where we are going if everything fails with the plan and the economies here and worldwide are left to their own devices."

When we see the Dow Fall 770 points in one day, falling to 10,365 and falling nearly 4,000 points from yearly highs we are clearly at the point of crisis.
"On this day congress had a moment do the right thing, and they failed, Heaven help us