Is Mitt Romney really the best the GOP has to offer?

President Barack Obama and the political gods of the Democrats must be secretly smiling, quite amused as the GOP struggles to find its soul because right now they look like the blind leading the blind, stumbling all over each other. First there was Romney, then Bachmann, Perry, Cain and even Gingrich seems more like Humpty Dumpty falling off the wall, and all the king’s horses and all the king’s men won’t be able to put him back together again. So, it seems that all of this invariably leads back to Mitt Romney, who is probably the biggest vacillator or flip-flopper since Senator John Kerry. This is apparently the best that the Republican Party can produce from within their ranks to run for this country’s highest elected office; which is a sad tragedy in and of itself. Romney is not the unOBAMA or noBAMA but rather he is nothing but ObamaLITE. The most noticeable distinction between the two is that Barack start singing a different tune after he got elected and Mitt is telegraphing all his political “rope-a-dope” moves to the electorate and somehow thinks he is going to fake us out, trying dazzle us with his fancy footwork, float like a butterfly and sucker punch us into voting him into the Oval Office; but we can see all this coming a mile away and it’s the same old song.

Mitt has had to reinvent himself several times on the campaign trail, even contradicting earlier positions as well as in some instances excerpts from his book, “No Apology: The Case for American Greatness.” Romney spent 25 million dollars of his own money and lost to John McCain for the Republican nomination for president in 2008, so why would Republicans want him to lead the party into the 2012 Presidential campaign, now; what has changed to make them want to? Mitt Romney likes to try and relate to the average American but he co-founded Bain Capital, a venture capitalist firm, which is just what those people in OCCUPY WALL STREET are demonstrating about. Sure, Romney can boast about the businesses and jobs he helped create but talks very little about the hundred of millions that he is worth or what he does with all his wealth-outside giving a tenth to the Mormon Church. No, Mitt, like John Kerry, was in favor of it before he was against it-or rather before he decided to run for President and as the old saying goes, “Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me.”


Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
December 26, 2011
robertrandle51@yahoo.com

X Factor’s first season grand finale was xcellent

X Factor got it right because Melanie Amaro was better than Josh Krajcik, but just barely. Josh reminded me of a cross between Joe Cocker and Otis Redding and perhaps if he were younger or looked a little different he may very well have been the winner. Chris Rene certainly had mad skills (rapper/singer, songwriter, dancer and musician) like Justin Timberlake and Ne-Yo, and his commitment to kick his drug habit certainly made him the emotional favorite. Nevertheless, fans voted for who they thought was the best and I think the telephone voting wasn't rigged like on “American Idol” season 1, when Tamyra Gray was a better singer than Kelly Clarkson and all the judges, including Simon Cowell, were surprised that she was eliminated so early in the final competition.

Ironically, Melanie was booted off the show earlier by the very Simon Cowell, who later felt in his heart that he had made the wrong decision and asked her to come back, and it seems that he made the right choice after-all; considering that he had put himself on the spot by the prediction that she would win the competition at the finale on Thursday, December 22nd before the votes were cast. The only thing that perhaps changed the tone of the evening was the booty-shaking and gyrating dancers on stage during the montage by Fifty-Cent and other rappers which almost made X Factor seem like XXX-rated factor, instead.


Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
December 23, 2011
robertrandle51@yahoo.com

Peace on Earth and goodwill toward men?

Col. Robert Thieme of Barachah Church in Houston, TX penned this unforgettable quote decades ago in one of his many books, which was: “Ritual without reality is meaningless,” and considering the state of things, especially in America, this statement could not be truer. If those hopeful words in the gospel of Luke are to have any real meaning then what it requires of us is to look at the world in which we live through radically different lenses. The intervention of transcendent God into humanity as a fleshly being called Jesus Christ was so much more than teaching superior moral values or starting a new religion, but rather to inaugurate or herald the coming Kingdom [government] of God to the earth.

This divine theocracy will supplant all human political, social and economic institutions which are now under the power or dominion of Satan and sin, however, under the new celestial administration with the eternal Father and Jesus [Yeshua] at His right hand on the throne of power, the earth will be a place where righteousness dwells and God will wipe away all our tears, and there will be no more pain or sorrow and no more death because the former things will have all passed away. All the bickering and controversy over displaying overly religious and for that matter, non-religious holiday symbols in public buildings or private homes misses the point entirely because all these things will be destroyed anyway. The thing that will endure is what we have done with our lives in the time God has allotted to us, and what we have done by emulating Jesus in love to unselfishly or unconditionally make a stranger’s life better and as a result of our good deeds and works our name will be written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.


Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
December 22, 2011
robertrandle51@yahoo.com

Navy’s “First Kiss” tradition a non-event?

The article by Associated Press reporter Brock Vergakis which appeared in the Thursday edition, December 22, 2011, of the Tacoma News Tribune about the Navy allowing a sailor to share a ‘kiss’ on the pier with a significant other after returning from 80 days active duty at sea. Ordinarily this would be a true non-event but with a repeal of former President Clinton’s “Don’t ask, Don’t tell” policy regarding gays/lesbians serving in the military, this practice may be reevaluated. Petty Officer 2nd Class Marissa Gaeta of the USS Oak Hill amphibious landing ship hugged and kissed her partner, also a Navy sailor, Petty Officer 3rd Class Citlalic Snell upon disembarking from the craft. According to the commanding officer David Bauer, said the crew’s reaction to who was selected for the coveted privilege was ‘positive’ but that could be just putting on a particular game face just to cover up the surprise or embarrassment. Was Commander Bauer and his crew unaware of Officer Gaeta’s sexual orientation as well as other sailors who might be GLBT, too? And secondly, if all of this was known, were there any attempts to discourage or disqualify any and all non-straight sailors or officers from participating in this lottery/selection process? These particular women are probably attractive but what if it were two men kissing, or maybe a couple who are the stereotypical “dike-looking” or short-haired, masculine-looking female (“Butch”) who was participating in this storied kiss?


Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
December 22, 2011
robertrandle51@yahoo.com

Was the Iraq War worth the cost?

President George W. Bush declared “The War in Iraq is over” aboard an aircraft carrier six weeks after his pre-emptive invasion of the country when superior U.S. airpower decimated Saddam Hussein’s Army and Republican Guard and American troops entered Baghdad unopposed by insurgent fighting forces and were greeted with cheers by Iraqi citizens. That was nine years ago so this declaration by President Barack Obama must be the “official” end of America’s combat role as military forces leave the country. Of course, there is still a large diplomatic corps of 16,000 personnel and 4,000 security contractors; not to mention the largest embassy in the world that is operational and located right in Baghdad. The thing is, there is no closure in the deaths of 4,500 soldiers and 33,000 injured troops who have suffered traumatic injuries both physical and mental. One cannot help but reflect on the nonsense of it all because there were no WMD’S that posed a “CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER” to America’s national security, no ties existed between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaida, no hijacker was linked to Iraq, and come to think of it, how far is Iraq from the United States; I mean, its not like Cuba 90 miles off the coast of Florida?

One cannot forget about Bush administration officials who dragged us into this ‘quagmire’ (un-winnable war) like George W. Bush, Condoleezza Rice, Donald Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney, Colin Powell and George Tenet. Osama bin-Laden was cornered in the mountains of Tora-Bora in Pakistan but instead of American forces going in to get him the Pakistani military was given that responsibility and somehow he was able to get away. Ironically, this is the same country where Osama bin-Laden was eventually killed by U.S. Special Forces nine years later, so Iraq wasn’t even necessary and the blood of thousands of our soldiers didn’t need to happen. Not only that, but a weaker Iraq divided among Sunni, Shiite and Kurds means a stronger Iran only emboldens the regime toward the development of an atomic bomb; which will not only be destabilizing to the Middle East but the uncertainty or unpredictability will also rattle financial markets worldwide.

So, what was or is the price of victory- Saddam Hussein and his sons are dead, Iraqi political elections (Democracy Middle East style/“Nation building”), access to Iraqi oil? America may have won the battle but the thing is when a War is over normally there is a formal declaration of surrender, so either one of two things must be true: The enemy is still continuing to fight or there was never any ‘real’ war in the first place. It is a painful thing to say, but it appears that those brave and patriotic soldiers who gave the fullest measure of devotion were just “cannon fodder” and incidental pieces or pawns on a chess board to fulfill the agenda of those ‘special interests’ who are powerful, influential and wealthy and who manipulate world economies and governments, and unfortunately the deaths of other people is just the cost of doing business.


Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
December 16, 2011
robertrandle51@yahoo.com

Send members of Congress into the unemployment lines

What a radical concept, that is, people can have a “voice” in the way that they are treated by their ruling authorities. Because the history of America is rooted in civilian government, this rules out Martial Law through the military or a police-state implemented through local jurisdictions. Barney Frank, House of Representatives member from Massachusetts made an interesting comment recently on McNeil-Lehrer News Hour on PBS that, “If Americans are dissatisfied with the performance of Congress, then we are the ones to blame because we are the ones who elect them.” His statement should be taken seriously because it is ‘right-on-the-money’ and instead of the benign and unfocused energy as well as the non-platform of OCCUPY WALLSTREET or even the Tea Party’s initial momentum, the answer to our grievances is right before our very eyes. All the 535 members of Congress will be up for reelection in 2012 and according to the latest Gallup and other opinion polls, members of Congress have a favorable rating in the single digits (9% or so). There should be slogans on tee-shirts with the caption of a broom, symbolizing making a clean sweep in Washington D.C. There could even be the picture of a mop, which depicts cleaning up all the mess in the nation’s capitol.

Americans have been held hostage far too long amid all the legislative gridlock and partisan politics and “enough is enough!” In reading the inspirational reasoning preserved in the words contained in THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE, several key phrases seem to leap from the page, namely: “We hold these truths to be self-evident . . all men [they] are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness- to that end Governments [branches of government] are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed [people]; that whenever any form of government becomes destructive [ineffectual] of these ends, it is the “right” of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government [or political representation], laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them [which] shall seem most likely to effect [secure] their safety and happiness.” Although this treatise sounded the clarion call to rebel against the abuses of power by King George of England and Parliament as well as the military superiority of British Royal Navy on the high seas, nonetheless, the principal is that when the legitimate needs and expectations of a free people are unfilled or ignored by their government, The PEOPLE have the right, due to legal precedent, cultural experience, social values and history, to effect “CHANGE” in the way they [the majority] deem that suits their needs to insure domestic tranquility; which at this stage is anything but that with all the protests and high unemployment.


Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
December 2, 2011
robertrandle51@yahoo.com

Mother of fifteen children is now homeless

Just when you think things couldn’t get any weirder in America, another event happens to come along, unexpectedly, from somewhere out-of-the-blue. Although this is an old story that reporter Keith Morelli, The Tampa Tribune, broke way back in April 21, 2010, still, it has reignited the contentious debate regarding family planning and the responsibility of social services agencies. The woman is an African-American, 37 years old, unemployed mother of fifteen children, and a longtime Florida resident. Her fiancé is currently serving a prison term on unspecified charges and he is the father of ten of the children. Three of the children are emancipated adults, or “aged out,” meaning they are past eighteen years old and living on their own. Angel Adams did have an $800-a-month, two-bedroom apartment that was paid for by Hillsborough Kids, but she was evicted last week. Ms. Adams, who doesn’t work, believes that her “work” is to have babies, which she says are ‘gifts’ from God. While no one can hold that sentiment against her, it doesn’t seem rational to think an All-Wise God and Creator would place the sole responsibility upon one woman to have more children than she can reasonably and adequately provide for their needs. But as she boasts, “I can have as many as I want to” what is even more outrageous is when she also asserts that somebody owes her. She goes on to say, “Somebody needs to pay for All My Children, somebody needs to be held accountable. . .” The only “ALL MY Children” that comes to mind is a soap opera that is almost as old as she is, and Angel and her family failed to make the casting director’s cut.

It is believed that Ms. Adams has at least three baby daddies out there who have fathered these children and it appears from her living situation that Child Support is not received at all or very little; and who knows, these men may be incarcerated also? The youngest is a 6 month old baby and the family now stays at the Economy Inn on East Busch Boulevard, in Tampa, FL. There is a microwave and mini refrigerator. No stove. One sink, one toilet, one shower. Everyone's barefoot, walking on a dirty, stained green carpet. The living quarters also consist of two beds where the girls sleep on one bed and the boys sleep on the other; and Angel sleeps on the floor. A relative paid for the hotel room for a week, but beyond that point, who knows what will happen. Hillsborough Kids, which manages child welfare in the county, through spokesman Elaine Olszewski, said they are working with Metropolitan Ministries to arrange a place to stay for Adams and should have one ready by next week. The children were taken away by sheriff's deputies two years ago, but were reunited with Adams six months ago, when she was set up in an apartment off North Boulevard near of Columbus Drive. A home-study report was completed to the satisfaction of everyone involved, she says.

Olszewiski goes on to say, “All the children of school age are enrolled and going to school, although Adams says they have not gone to school since she took up residence in the hotel. She says she can't get them to school. Typically, single moms in similar situations have frequent visits by case workers, who work with charities in the community and coordinate grant money to pay for services. "It's on a case-by-case basis," she says. "It's not that we would financially support them, but we are connected to community partners that provide assistance." The goal when children are removed from the home is to get them back with biological parents, she said, and caseworkers try to work to that end, she says.

"Children always are better with their biological parents," she says. If, according to Ms. Olszewiski, social workers and the make sure all the requirements of a safe and wholesome environment exist for the children, then this present situation is untenable and the court will have to intervene and a judge may have to sign an order to remove the children temporarily until a more suitable arrangement can be made. There is another issue that needs to be addressed, namely, what to do about the mother? Should Angel Adams be allowed to continue having children just because she in biologically fertile and able to do so, even when she cannot financially provide for them and sees herself on a mission from God to replenish the Earth? In China, “one” child is the limit and any woman having more than that number is forcibly sterilized by officials of the government. Of course in China’s case, they have a population of nearly 2 billion people, too.

So, what should be the role of the local social service agencies, federal government, community outreach sources, churches and the taxpayers in providing assistance and public resources without any strings attached? The country was shocked a couple of years ago when Nadya “Octomom” Suleiman had all those multiple births from fertility treatments but in her case she became sort of a celebrity and was the flavor-of-the-week; at least for awhile. Now that Nadya has almost faded from memory Angel has risen to take her place in the talk around the water cooler. It is doubtful that Ms. Adams will or has received the attention that Nadya has because with her it was more surprise and fascination and a slight resemblance to actress Angela Jolie, of whom she was a fan, only helped feed the mystique. In Ms. Adams case it just may well be the old racial stereotype of a promiscuous or sexually-active, Black welfare mom having all these babies with different men and the tab is being paid on the taxpayer’s [mainly White] dime.


Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
December 2, 2011
robertrandle51@yahoo.com

An Economic Recovery may still be years away

Despite the recent Department of Labor statistics regarding an increase in output from factories and the manufacturing as well as the latest drop in the unemployment rate from 9.0% to 8.6%, one shouldn’t start celebrating just yet. President Obama is touting the latest news that his economic agenda is working and for Americans not to give up but keep persevering and making personal sacrifices. Of course, president Obama will take credit for any good news about the economy, even if it is just a slight bump in the positive column. Now, he and former President Bill Clinton are encouraging the creation of well over a hundred thousand “Green” Construction jobs that involve painting roofs white on all residential houses and public buildings to make them more energy efficient. What bolsters this ambitious plan are perhaps those surprisingly lower unemployment statistics as well as better-than-expected “Black Friday” sales figures, but numbers can be misleading. For one thing, the “real” unemployment rate is much closer to between 12% and 15% because individuals who have been fired, quit their jobs or their UI claim is in dispute are not included in the data; as well as the people who have already exhausted their benefits and the many who have just simply given up looking for work altogether. Also, it is believed that the 315,000 reduction in the workforce is probably due to retirement; as opposed to any other significant factor.

Now, as far as the early holiday gift on “Black Friday” to the nation’s retailers from consumers who spent more money in 2011 than in the past two years, merchants shouldn’t uncork the bottles of champagne just yet. Lackluster or slumping sales has forced many merchants and stores to offer deep discounts by slashing prices 50% or more, resulting in lower margins, usually below their cost, on average, just to make a sale. When all the accounting is done it will show that a few of the more well known stores actually made a profit because they lowered their target for the year-end quarter, but the majority of others will do poorly and lose a substantial amount of money. President Obama wants Congress to not let the Bush tax cuts expire because, once again, the ‘detached-from-reality’ political thinking is that this is the same thing as a rebate, of sorts, and people will spend this extra money on big ticket items to stimulate the economy. The thing is though, the Congressional Budget Office or some other governmental agency should conduct a study in conjunction with the IRS and issue a report on how much the average American taxpayer or family will save because in an economic downturn because most individuals who are struggling to keep a job and hang on to their homes will use any and all discretionary income to pay for necessities like utility bills, groceries and medicine and not on other non-essential goods or services. And to wrap this up with a final point, it is like the old adage, “A recession is when everybody else is out of work, and a depression is when you are out of work.”


Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
December 2, 2011
robertrandle51@yahoo.com