all the things we used to blame on the devil

BARACK OBAMA

Why him and not Hillary? Well, I have my rational, thoughtful reasons. And then there is a reason that may not be so reasonable, but it's still important. I feel lifted up by his attitude and the way he exudes excitement and his expression of simple democratic values of caring for people that have been forgotten for way too long. We need to get back to "the people". He inspires. Hillary doens't affect me in that way. She is so very talented, gifted and needed. But, so much, we need a leader who can rally our lost hope and excitement in our basic values. We need charged up.

I saw Diane Sawyer's "Waiting for the World to Change" 20/20 story in Camden, New Jersey, Friday night. How depressing was that?! You just couldn't turn away from the spirit that these children were having so little support from their community and country. The little kindergarten boy who could count the 3 wheels on a tricycle - but who couldn't say how many meals we have a day because for him there were NEVER 3 meals a day. The little girl who in the short time that Diane knew her had eyes and a spirit that went from youthful exuberance to eyes that were lifeless and a spirit that had been drained. The young man who lived in a drug infested Camden neighborhood and worked a job to help the family through high school. You had to see where they lived to get the impact of his story. He slept on the floor with the bugs crawling. He so wanted to make his dad proud and be able to graduate high school in a place that it was most uncommon. He worked harder than you or I ever did to get that diploma. After much fear that it wouldn't come to pass for him, it did. We must care about the poor in our country. We must care about the victims of Katrina. We must. But if we dont' - we will continue to pay, one way or the other



If any of you read my January 25 post " BROTHERS AND SISTERS Finds The Great Divide in the USA" over at my blog at tvguide.com, as ilovemylife, you will understand when I say the following. I went to Huntington College for a year and a half. While there I worked as a creative editor on the college newspaper and boldly made the move to artistically create the following quote as a full front page statement:

"Remember all those things we used to blame on the devil

and all those things we left up to God?

Now it's all a hundred times more complicated.

We Must Become New Men (and Women)

OR Be Satisfied As We ARE . . .

either way WE risk tragedy."

(from Joseph Pintauro's little book, "to believe in man"

WE ARE ALL THE KEEPERS OF JUSTICE

. . . OR NOT.