Over the years, I have become so disillusioned with our political system, that just thinking about politics often results in an immediate increase in my blood pressure. I have been registered to vote since I became 18 years of age, and in the 27 years since then, I have voted in nearly every election. Actually, I can’t recall ever not voting.

I’ve been registered as both a Republican and a Democrat. Now I am registered as an independent. I honestly believe that our bipartisan system has failed miserably. More often than not, I find myself voting AGAINST candidates instead of voting FOR them. For me, it is often a case of voting for the lesser of two evils. There has rarely been a political candidate that I have actively supported. Today’s announcement that Senator Barack Obama plans to run for President in 2008 changes that. I now have hope.

Senator Obama faces a huge challenge. A man of mixed black/white heritage faces an uphill battle, because racism still exists in our country, and far too many people use their vote as another way to discriminate. Frankly, I don’t think race, gender, or religion should have anything to do with whether someone can be elected to any office. Additionally, Barack Hussein Obama’s very name will work against him, as many voters will be reminded of Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein. I hope the American voter is intelligent enough to ignore these inconsequential things.

One of my biggest complaints about our electoral system is the way the candidates campaign. Mudslinging and rhetoric should have no place in politics. I have often lamented that we need to develop a system where each candidate is given an identical list of key topics and is asked to publicly comment on each one. I want to know what a candidate stands for, supports, and is willing to fight for. Don’t tell me why someone else is unfit for office - I prefer to make that determination on my own.

If you do nothing else, at least stop by your local bookstore and take a look at Obama’s book, “The Audacity of Hope“. I don’t care if you purchase the book or not. Just read the prologue, or simply open the book to a random page and read a few paragraphs. I can guarantee two things - first, you will be impressed with the way he writes. He is very intelligent and articulate - more so than the vast majority of professional writers, myself included. This man can write one sentence that accurately and intimately reflects ideas that would take me several paragraphs to even attempt to address. The second thing you will find is that he is extremely passionate in his beliefs, and the things he believes in are things that I think everyone can relate to. On pages 8-9 of the Prologue, Obama writes: “You don’t need a poll to know that the vast majority of Americans - Republican, Democrat, and independent - are weary of the dead zone that politics has become, in which narrow interests vie for advantage and ideological minorities seek to impose their own versions of absolute truth.” Just one sentence.

I find it interesting that many people are suggesting that his lack of political experience will hinder his campaign. It is the career Politicians (capital P) that have made such a mess of our country! I don’t want to support someone who plays by today’s political rules and knows how to work the system. I want someone who is willing to shake up the status quo and re-write the rules without making up their own laws. I want a President who can lead the country and have a positive impact on our future. I look at his relative inexperience as an asset, not a deficit. If you have any interest in the 2008 Presidential election, you owe it to yourself to read his book. You will discover a man who not only writes well, but has also given a great deal of thought to what he has to say. There is no political banner waving, no empty promises, nothing that even suggests that he is a typical politician. I would pay money to watch President Bush openly debate Senator Obama, even though it would serve no other purpose than a means to see the contrast between the two.

I strongly believe that the 2008 Presidential election will determine the future of our country. Will we continue to follow the same course, driving our country further and further away from the American Dream, or will we elect a new kind of leader who can actually change the face of politics for the good of the entire nation and the world? Senator Barack Obama, you have earned my vote, and most importantly, my respect.

Is it just me, or has the ongoing feud between Donald Trump and Rosie O’Donnell gotten way out of hand? These are mature, successful celebrities. Even so, they are fighting like children sharing the back seat during a long road trip. Is it all a publicity stunt? I don’t think so. Both are already too rich and famous to worry about garnering media attention.

So what is the bickering all about? In a word, EGO. Both of these people have severely inflated egos. Neither one can stand letting the other person have the last word. After three consecutive days of media reporting, I have had enough. Will someone please tell these two that they are making themselves look like total idiots? Both of them deserve a public spanking, or at the very least, they need to stand in a corner and take a “time-out.”

Susan Bono, publisher of “Tiny Lights” (www.tiny-lights.com), a local literary publisher, invited writers to submit a response to the question, “Which is better, fame or fortune?”

When I sat down to compose a reply, I realized that my response and rationale could push the barrier of the 500 word limit, and would still be pretty boring. So I decided on a different approach. Here is my submission:

Which is better, fame or fortune?

Define better.

I’ll rephrase the question. Which would you rather be, famous or wealthy?

Can’t I be both?

Of course, but the question is which would you rather be, given a choice between the two?

Oh. How famous and how wealthy?

Whatever you wish.

Well, there’s a difference between being famous locally and being famous world-wide. There is also a difference between being doctor or lawyer wealthy, and being Bill Gates wealthy.

This is true.

Can you be famous but not wealthy?

Certainly. The guys in New York City that caught a falling baby are famous, but not wealthy.

Can you be wealthy but not famous?

Can you name the guys who created and sold YouTube?

Point taken.

Your choice then?

Well, if I had to choose, I think I would choose fortune over fame.

Why is that?

Famous people lose their privacy, but wealthy people can buy it.

That makes sense. Thank you.

So, do I get to be wealthy?

That is entirely up to you.

But you’re a genie! Don’t I get my wish fulfilled?

It was a rhetorical question.

With a poof of smoke, the genie disappeared. Stupid genie.

I recently read a “Letter to the Editor” in the Press Democrat (Santa Rosa, CA) that really bothered me. Sonoma County has had a string of gang related incidents, resulting in a public outcry to do something about the problem.

The following was printed by the Press Democrat on Dec 22, 2006:

Underlying factors

EDITOR: As someone who recently moved to Sonoma County after 15 years of incarceration for gang activities, I would like to make the following observation. By addressing the dialectical materialism (sic) in Sonoma County, which is the unequal distribution of opportunities for youth, we can correct the “gang problem.” The socio-economical factors in some of our neighborhoods have embedded poverty and disenfranchisement. If we sincerely want to prevent “gang problems,” then we need to address the underlying factors that exclude participation in our communities. These conditions leave a large segment feeling inadequate and helpless, resigned to a future the same as the one they inherited.

If young people in poverty were given opportunities to challenge their minds, many would make better choices. The real truth is that poverty is a direct result of reckless administration and total disregard for the development of all our population. When we invest millions of dollars toward incarceration and accept the socio-economic facts that cause poverty, we steal from our youth the very opportunities that would keep them out of prison.

We must eliminate those conditions that displace large segments of our society into the prison industrial complex. By doing so, we will raise a higher level of consciousness and social responsibility and empower those now systematically excluded.

Yaribu Malik Al-Din Damu
Rohnert Park

Everyone is of course, entitled to their opinion. But for some reason, this letter aggravated me. I decided to respond by writing my own “Letter to the Editor.” My letter was published on Dec 27, 2006. Here is what I had to say:

Blaming Others

EDITOR: This is in response to “Underlying factors” (letters, Friday) by Yaribu Malik Al-Din Damu. The writer asserts that the cause of gangs and gang violence in Sonoma County is the “unequal distribution of opportunities for youth.” Damu apparently doesn’t understand the difference between “opportunity” and “entitlement.” Nobody is entitled to a share of other people’s wealth or success. But everyone does have the opportunity to achieve these things for themselves. Poverty, disenfranchisement and socioeconomic status are no excuse for gang violence, property damage or criminal activities.

Youths in our community all have the opportunity to improve themselves through education, regardless of their socioeconomic status. Some may even argue that low-income students are offered even more opportunity in the form of scholarships and grants that middle and upper-income families do not qualify for. Blaming society for your woes serves no purpose and only reflects an unwillingness to accept responsibility for your own life.

Society is not an external entity that owes you or anyone else a thing. Society is what we as individuals do to contribute something positive to our communities. After 15 years of incarceration, what has Damu contributed to his community? It is much easier to blame others for our failures instead of working hard to empower ourselves.

Todd Eastman
Windsor

For reasons I am still unclear about, another reader took offense at my letter and responded with a letter of her own. The fact that someone else read my letter and felt compelled to respond is a good thing. It means I made someone out there think. Unfortunately, this writer took a more hostile approach than I think was necessary. But as I said, everyone is entitled to their opinion. Here is what she wrote, published on Dec 29, 2006.

Gangs and poverty

EDITOR: This is in response to Todd Eastman’s letter “Blaming others.” How dare he say, “Society is not an external entity that owes you or anyone else a thing. Society is what we as individuals do to contribute something positive to our communities.” My American Heritage Dictionary Third Edition says, “Society: 1) Human beings collectively; 2) A group of persons with a common culture or way of life; 3) A group of people uniting in a common class; 4) The rich and fashionable social class; 5) Companionship; company.” Eastman seems to fall under Nos. 3 and 4.

Eastman has such a concept of gangs and poverty, why doesn’t he run for office and save the world? In the meantime, there are many who do understand that poverty and lack of opportunities do make up for many of the lost souls in our state prison system, and no one but Eastman seem to have the answers for all of it.

Teresa McConville
Santa Rosa

I found it interesting that the majority of her letter consisted of quoting me and her dictionary. Unfortunately, the Press Democrat allows one letter to the Editor in a 90 day period, so I can’t reply to her letter. If I could, I would tell Ms. McConville that I have worked as an EMT (Emergency Medical Technician). I have dealt with everyone from the homeless to the extremely wealthy. I have had to wait for the police to clear a gang related crime scene before I could treat my patient. I think it is safe to say that in all likelihood, I have experienced and witnessed things in our society that she could never dream of.

Although I may certainly wish it, I definitely do not belong to the “rich and fashionable” social class. Nor do I believe (or ever said) that I have all the answers. As for running for office and saving the world – if it were possible, I would. Unfortunately, I dislike politics and do not support our bipartisan political system, making it difficult to run for office. But that is another story.