Dear Friends-

One hot topic in your responses to my last post was my new kitten Castro, so I decided to put together a short video of him and I.  These clips were filmed by webcam while working on responses to some of your comments.  IÂ’ll finish typing my responses and post them asap.  In the mean time let me introduce you to Castro.

All The Best- Justin XOXOXO  

I'm Not Giving Obama A Free Pass, Neither Should You

Dear Friends and Bloggers Alike,

Long time, no post!  "What gives?" you ask.  Well, maybe it has something to do with the fact that I have been working on a new Anti-Flag record, or maybe it's because all those "Saved By Zero" car commercials finally drove me to violently jab my ear drums with an ice pick, or maybe it has to do with the fact that I recently adopted a new kitten from the Animal Rescue League...  Chances are it has to do with all of the above and then some - minus the ice pick, I used a pencil...

Regardless, it's nice to be back at my laptop writing to you.  My last post produced a flurry of interesting and provocative responses from you covering subjects as diverse as: a "One World Government/Illuminati" is running the world; "gargantuan evil" is in control of not one but both major US political parties; people should not vote for Obama and instead vote for a third party; and my personal favorite, which came in the form of this question: "Why did the Pittsburgh Steelers play Ben Roethlisberger against Indianapolis instead of Byron Leftwich when it was obvious that Big Ben was banged up, exhausted and in need of some rest?"  I couldn't agree more.

Regardless of your point of view, I appreciate your input immensely as it reminds me how lucky I am to be a part of such an amazing community of people, specifically those I have connected with as a result of posting on BLURT and by performing in Anti-Flag. So thanks to all of you who have posted a comment.

Within the next two weeks I plan to respond directly to some of your comments from my last post and this post, so keep an eye out for that. In the meantime I want to take a moment to send a special thanks to JuliaIsabella for her post... Thanks JuliaIsabella, your words inspire me to keep doing what I do. It was a pleasure meeting you.

Now onward to today's main event...

Election night, the taste of victory was sweet.

Actually, it tasted more like Guinness as I downed a pint in celebration while leading a chorus of "We Are The Champions" at an election night party, one arm around my older sister and the other around her daughter, who coincidentally is the little girl who appears on the cover of Anti-Flag's Terror State CD. That photo was taken only a few years into the Bush White House and that little girl is now nearly eighteen!  Seeing her grown up is a firsthand illustration to me of the years that have passed and the endless opportunities to take this world in a progressive direction that have been missed by the Bush White House during that time. With those thoughts in mind it was hard - almost impossible actually - for me not to feel great about the ouster of the Republicans from the White House, and to witness history as a black man was elected to live in a house built by slaves and given a name that at this point in time strikes me as one part racist and one part absurd: "The White House..."  Really? (I wonder what they're going to do with the "Whites Only" sign now that the Obamas are going to be living there?)

Yes, once again truth is stranger than fiction and even those who would most likely be categorized as Obama skeptics couldn't contain their feelings of exhilaration at the election results.  Amy Goodman of Democracy Now certainly couldn't hide the smile on her face as she reported the news of Obama's victory, and even commentators on Fox News came across as genuinely excited and even one or two percent less Stepford Wife-ish than usual as it was confirmed that Obama had enough votes to win. Was that quite possibly a glimmer of hope I noticed twinkling from Karl Rove's eye when commenting on Obama‘s victory? Actually, no it was not...  Now I'm just being ridiculous!

Having suffered through eight years of Bush and Republican rule which brought us two  wars, a historic gap between rich and poor, ever deepening environmental devastation, a backward energy policy, and the worst economic disaster since the Great Depression, the very election of Barack Obama is a victory in itself. The fact that he is an African American and the most progressive person elected to the presidency in decades shines a light on how far America has come since the days of Jim Crow and segregation, and even since the invasion of Iraq.

Yes, the Obama victory is exhilarating, exciting, and ground breaking in so many ways, but what now?  As we enter into the next historic phase of this presidential journey the question remains: Will Obama be his own man, or will he be a tool of The Man?

Hints at both possibilities lurk below the surface, simultaneously sparking within me hope and concern.

This past Sunday on 60 Minutes, Obama stated that he was committed to closing down Guantanamo Bay and ending torturing as "an effort to regain America's moral stature in the world."  That sounds pretty good, right?  On the other hand, Democracy Now reported that John Brennan and Jami Miscik, both former intelligence officials who served under George Tenet, are leading Obama's review of intelligence agencies and making recommendations to Obama's administration. Brennan has supported warrantless wiretapping and extraordinary rendition; Miscik was involved in politicized intelligence used in the build up to the Iraq war; which alleged that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction. Ok, now I don't feel so good about Obama.

Such examples, pro and con, swirl around President-elect Obama and it is impossible to know for sure which direction he will take on every issue. However, there are measures we can take to influence President-elect Obama, and the first step in that process is for each and everyone of us to write and/or call him when we feel he is on target and when we feel he is not. I am personally committed to this action, starting today, and I urge you to do the same on the issues that matter most to you; be it the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan, health care, education, the environment, energy, gay rights, the Supreme Court, Wall Street giveaways, military recruiters in schools, Federal Communications Commission reform (the Fairness Doctrine) - any and every issue you hold near and dear.

The kind of change America and this world needs will not come over night and it will not come easy.  Many people feel too cynical to believe it is possible for the government to be reclaimed by or to work for the people of this country rather than the corporate raiders who currently have their claws dug into it.

Believe me, I understand your hopelessness, but as recently as November 4th many people did not believe that it was possible for an African American to be elected President of the United States. Make no mistake about it, in Barack Obama we have a leader who, despite his faults, gives us reason to believe that he is genuinely concerned about people and working for progressive change for the nation and the world.  You can give up without a fight, you can give into your cynicism and apathy and be a part of the problem, or you can take a chance and make an effort; even one as minor as periodically writing to or calling your state and federal representatives (including President

Obama) and letting them know what you believe in and which direction you want to see this country and this world take.

You can start now by writing to President Elect Obama

at: http://change.gov/page/s/yourstory

As those of you who have been reading my posts know, Obama was not my first choice for president and I continue to believe that he is wrong on many issues, but I stand by my belief that he was the only viable choice for president in 2008. That said, the change we voted for will not come at all if we don't do our part to hold President Elect Obama accountable for the actions he takes as the 44th President of the United States.  Take fifteen minutes to write to the guy!

The future of your nation and world is at least as important as writing a five minute email to a friend about what happened this week on The Office, or who was eliminated on The Pick Up Artist - Season 2.

I'm Voting Against Godzilla-Sized Evil!!!

Wow!  So much to respond to and reflect upon. Because I am currently engaged in the consumption of a certain so called "energy drink" while at the same time attacking a pack of chewing gum, before I continue I feel the need to share a personal note with all of you by admitting that I am as human and corruptible as anyone. I am referring to the fact that for the last three months I have been addicted to Red Bull and chewing gum- the kind with the liquid in the middle. Ummm...  Scrumptious!  That said, if my heart stops beating or I develop an advance form of cancer in the next month now you know why...

Anyway... 

So I write my first blog entry for Blurt, I go on tour in Europe for a few weeks, after which I take short trip to the USA to goto a wedding in Portland and visit my family in Pittsburgh.  I come back to London and after settling in I look up my blog on Blurt to find a notable amount of discussion surrounding my first entry.  I have to say that I'm very excited by your enthusiastic responses. Thank you for the engagement and insights. I hope this blog will be a place where ideas will continue to be developed and discussed. You've brought up more issues than I can begin to address in one post but in the coming weeks and months I hope we'll cover many of them and more.

I hadn't planned on delving back into the topic of Barrack Obama today but after reading your responses to my post it is more than appropriate.  What really jumped out at me regarding your comments is the perception by some of you that I am having a love affair with Barrack Obama.  Fair enough, I did end the blog by stating that his positive public appeal in Europe is one reason to vote for him.  However, I did not write a glowing personal endorsement of Obama as much as I reported what I have observed during my recent time in Europe; that observation being that Obama has helped America pick itself out of the pig sty of public opinion that Bush has dragged it into around the world.  

For the record, Barrack Obama was hardly my first choice for president in 2008. In a field of Democrats, Greens, Libertarians, Independents, and others, he didn't even crack my top five. But that was then and this is now and while I carry a strong dose of skepticism regarding his campaign promises and I disagree with him on some issues, he will get my vote in November. I don't see myself as voting for the lesser of two evils, I see myself as voting against the lesser of a gargantuan evil and potential calamity for the United States and the world.

I could not bring myself to vote for the lesser of two evils in the 2000 presidential election. Instead I voted for Nader because I believed it was important to establish a strong third, or to put it more accurately, second party. The Green Party had a lot of momentum in 2000 and a platform I believed in; including renewable energy and conservation, ending the death penalty and prison reform, a women's right to choose, campaign finance reform, a reduction in military spending, and single payer universal health care, among others. If they had been able to obtain 5 percent of the national vote the Green party would have qualified for matching federal campaign funding in the 2004 election. The possibility of the Greens establishing a viable third party, one based on principals I believed in, and the fact that in my mind a vote for Gore was basically the same as voting for Bush (do you remember the debates between Gore and Bush?  They agreed with one another over and over again on a wide range of issues!) led me to throw caution to the wind and cast my vote for Nader, even though I knew a victory for Bush would not lead to an outcome I favored. 

As it turns out, my state, Pennsylvania, went for Gore, regardless of my vote for Nader. That was the good.  The bad, the Greens did not secure 5% of the vote, Gore lost, many people blamed Gore's loss on Nader and the Greens, and any chance of a truly progressive-third party taking root in contemporary America bit the dust. It also turns out that I was totally wrong about Gore and Bush being the same candidate. If I had known then what I know now I would have gleefully voted for Gore a thousand times over... Tax cuts for the rich, the biggest corporate profits in history, a historical and ever widening gap between rich and poor, John Roberts, Samuel Alito, The Patriot Act, Gitmo, Iraq...  I could have never imagined that Bush would inflict the kind of damage he has to our nation and the world. On his worst day Al Gore couldn't possibly have f#*ked up the world more if he had tried!

Yep, I made a mistake.  But I can admit to and learn from my mistake and that means voting for Obama. When it comes to the rest of you who can't bring yourself to vote for Obama because he's too close to corporate America, his health care plan is a gift to the insurance industry, he has voted for the Patriot Act and funding for the continued occupation of Iraq, or he has back pedaled in his opposition to so called "free trade", I feel your pain but my friends it is time for you to do something very important... GET A GRIP ON REALITY!!!  

The stakes in this presidential election are more obvious than they were in 2000. At least at that time your vote had the opportunity to inject a new voice into the American political landscape.  Furthermore, the country hadn't been suckered into an criminal, misguided, military fiasco leaving the Middle East more unstable than it has been in recent history. In general, we hadn't the misfortune of eight horrific years of the Bush White House to paint in stark  example the level of damage one radical religious nut job could inflict upon the world. While it was not as obvious in 2000 that a Bush White House would lead to certain social and economic disaster the world over, in 2008 it should be obvious to all that this election has a great probability of shaping the direction America takes for the next fifty odd years. It is possible to see that this election could be the difference between a more peaceful world or a ramping up of militarism and war around the globe far greater than that which we have witnessed during the Bush years. 

For starters, the next president may appoint as many as three Supreme Court Justices. Leave this task to John McCain and a women's right to choose will be only one of countless rights stripped away from American citizens. When Bush came into office the idea of him finding a way to dupe America into invading Iraq was laughable. Fast forward to the present, the US military is occupying Iraq and John MCCain wants to ramp up the war. On top of  this, McCain's inflammatory statements and advocacy against nations such as Iran and North Korea make Bush look like a dove of peace and tranquility. I can't predict where McCain's War All The Time brand of non-diplomacy will lead the world, but I can tell you where it isn't going to lead us, anywhere good. I must also point out that Putin and his Russian compatriots are ruthless, smart, power hungry strategists who have just been waiting for the U.S. to miscalculate and give them an opportunity to assert themselves militarily as they have recently in Georgia. When Bush and Company gave them the opportunity they struck and struck hard.  A reactionary, gun totting cowboy such as McCain has Putin and friends licking their chops! When McSame stumbles into one of Putin's snares it will be Georgia all over again but as always in warfare the level of violence and blood shed has the potential to be greater. (And don't even get me started on China...) We've had eight wasted years, crucial years, where instead of investing in clean renewable energy, Bush and Friends have instead kept America burning dirty fossil fuels benefiting no one but the energy giants of the world; including Exxon. (Can you can say record profits mother f*%cker???).  This issue of renewable energy is one that is especially close to my heart as I have been saying for years that going green would be good for the planet and for the working people of America who will find new good paying jobs in an economy that will boom as a result of substantial green energy investment.  Obama's energy plan is not perfect, but he has the right idea, it's a huge step in the correct direction. If McSame is elected we stay in the 18th century burning whale blubber and coal...  

Hell, all this at stake and I haven't even started on health care or gay and lesbian rights!  That said, I hope those of you arguing that voting is pointless, or voting for Obama is the same as voting for McCain will consider very carefully the points I have raised here.  Make no mistake, the right wing nut jobs of this world do not see this as an election, they see this as war!  Hopefully you'll come to that understanding before your kids are learning that creationism, not evolution, is solid scientific theory, and that war with Iran sure is a big mess, and that it was awesome living in the United States back when libraries didn't have their books censored by government appointed "Morality Squads", and when military service wasn't mandatory for everyone upon turning the age of 18, and when abortion was legal...  Trust me, let McCain take the White House and you'll be yearning for Bush, Ashcroft, Rumsfeld, yes even Cheney, and the good old days in the summer of 2008.

So, in the words of my dear friend and scholar, Chris #2 of Anti-Flag, I leave you with these words to contemplate, for the sake of the nation, the world, the planet, "Don't fuck up!"

WIN OR LOSE, OBAMA HAS HELPED SALVAGE AMERICA'S REPUTATION

I write this entry from a diner in the heart of London's East End, where I have recently taken up residence after living nearly my entire life in my beloved hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.

Being a recent transplant to Europe I feel it appropriate that my virgin blog entry on Blurt address an issue intertwined in both American and European society. That being the case, why steer clear of the personal? Let's cut straight to the bone and look at why when I say, "I'm American," approximately three-quarters of Europeans get a look on their face that says, "Excuse me while I swallow down the little mouthful of vomit that just crept up my esophagus."

As an American with joint Irish/American citizenship I started going to Europe on a regular basis about seven to eight years ago. In my early days of trekking around various European countries most people I encountered along the way almost seemed to sit up straight as an air of interest and excitement beamed from them upon learning that I was from the USA. This was especially true directly after 9/11, when Europeans seemed to swoon over me and beam gushers of sympathy and encouragement on me after learning that I was an American, or what one Englishman referred to as, "A victim of those heartless bastards hiding out somewhere in a cave of Afghanistan."

But those were the good old days, when it seemed the entire world was in sympathy with the USA. It didn't take long for Uncle G-Dub and Uncle Dick to f that up. The more the US took on the look of an Orwellian nightmare rather than the beacon of freedom, equality, and hope, the more European's soured on the USA. All of a sudden people were asking me, "Are you a fan of George Bush?," suspicion in their eyes. "And how do you feel about Iraq?" Yep, the Iraq war wrecked America's reputation with Europe overnight.

I wish I could say that Europe's sudden disdain for America was limited to our president, that they were thinking, "The American people are A-OK friendly folk who fell victim to the manipulation of GW...," but it isn't that simple. Millions of Europeans, conservative and liberal, young and old, poured onto the streets in protest of the US-led invasion of Iraq because it was so obvious to them that George Bush, Condoleezza Rice, Donald Rumsfeld, Colin Powell and company were full of total b.s. in arguing that Iraq was a threat to the rest of the world. "If we can see it," pondered Europe, "why can't the people and the Congress of the USA see it? What the hell is wrong with them?

Why aren't they out in the street in the same numbers we are? After all, it's their kids who are going to fight and die for oil and to enrich the pockets of Bush and his cronies." You see, Europe's attitude wasn't that the invasion of Iraq and the behavior of the USA pre- and post-invasion was a case of an administration gone out of control, Europe's attitude was that an apathetic, ignorant and lazy America allowed a bunch of criminals to do whatever the hell they felt like doing.

I'm sorry to report that I had become so accustomed to the rolling eyes of Europeans as I acknowledged being from the U.S. that their skeptical attitude toward my citizenship hardly phased me anymore.  However, that changed recently when people started asking me a new question, "What do you think of the black guy running for president? Barack Obama?"

Hmmm...  This is a new one! I thought to myself. Interesting...

And so it was that I noticed a new attitude creeping into the psyche of my European brothers and sisters. 

Regardless of how he performs as president (if he happens to reach that lofty office), one thing Obama's candidacy has done almost instantaneously is improve the image of the United States in the eyes of many Euros. Hillary Clinton's candidacy helped too, as Europe witnessed what seemed to be a breakthrough in America's patriarchal old-white-guy-running-the-country culture. But Hillary is very much viewed in Europe as the Old Guard. And having voted for war, her image in Europe is not what it might be if she were more of a Washington outsider. Furthermore, the true symbol of social progress in America for many Europeans lay in the history of America's civil rights era of the 1960's; highlighted in particular are the images of police dogs mauling peaceful African American activists, the courage of Rosa Parks, the inspirational vision and oratory of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X. After witnessing an illegal invasion of another nation, Gitmo, state sanctioned torture, extraordinary rendition, the refusal to join a international ban on cluster bombs, the abandonment of numerous nuclear weapons treaties, and a stick in the eye of the international community on the issue of the environment, an African-American running for president and having a significant opportunity to win the office resonates in the hearts of Europeans like the low hum of a Dutch-engineered windmill power station.

The reality is that European's see Barack Obama as a spit in the face to George Bush and his America. They see America's support of Obama as a sign that just maybe America is waking the hell up; that America finally realizes that the direction GW has steered the ship and consequently the world, is straight for the rocks on the shoreline. Bush is a madman bent on war, Obama is a diplomat who would do everything possible to avoid war. Bush can hardly form a complete sentence, Obama is articulate and eloquent. Bush's mind is vacuous and empty, Obama's mind is forward thinking and rational. Bush is dumb, Obama is smart. Bush is white, Obama is black.

The latter point sums it up nicely. To Europe it is as plain as black and white. Bush represents a belligerent, ugly America. Obama represents the idealized American Dream that is legend in European hearts; an America that does not judge a person based sex, religion, class or color, an America that lives up to the lofty ideals it has symbolized for so many years.

So is that enough of a reason to vote for Obama?  In my eyes it is not the reason, it is one of many reasons--but that's a topic for another entry. For now I'm just happy to report that Obama has already delivered in one respect. And I suddenly feel a flicker of hope in my heart when people ask me what country I come from.

Justin Sane fronts the originally Pittsburgh-based punk band Anti-Flag.