Self Improvement

The complexity of the human heart allows us to hope for something and to expect that we will be disappointed in it at the same time, to maintain ideals, and believe that they will never be realized at the same time. Holding these dual views defines the nature of disillusionment – the profound sense that one’s most cherished hopes will not materialize in one’s lifetime or in the space of time in which the heart feels things should or must happen.

Disillusionment has affected a broad spectrum of people within our society. It has affected views of political life, of government practice, of leadership integrity, of corporate agendas, resulting in a belief that those in positions of power will rarely be discovered to have integrity at their core, but will be found to have feet of clay and a wandering moral sensibility.

We live in a society in which disappointed idealism has become rampant, in which the heart’s voice that things be different has become muted to a dull whisper, and in which the ongoingness of the status quo has seemed inevitable.

And yet today in the presence of disillusionment, a new breath of inspiration and hope is coming into being. It arises from the heart and is being reinforced by currents of spiritual energy that are covering the Earth. This hope may be externalized in specific political figures, but it is larger than any one person. Its source is the source of hope itself, the source of inspiration itself, expressed as a new energy and light manifesting on the Earth to reawaken dreams and ideals, desires for freedom and justice, and the longing for purity and integrity. Although disillusionment may be present, hope is also rising.

Hope calls us to believe in the possible. It calls us to put down the compromises we have made with the present which have allowed us less that what we would wish, and to lift up our beliefs and dreams that something new and forward-moving can happen.

Hope is expansive. It calls us to enlarge our view of what is, and to see past present limitations to a vision of the possible.

Hope awakens us to the possibility of the unseen coming into being, not through ways that are known, but through ways that are unknown.

In this sense, hope and trust have a similar foundation, for they are not based on the assurance of guarantees or on a clear path that dictates how desires shall be fulfilled. Rather, they are based on a longing of the heart that something be so, and the feeling which supports this longing that says that all roads are open, all outcomes can come into being.

The sense of an open future is the vision that the force of hope brings. It is carried on the stream of light that encircles and penetrates the Earth now, and it infuses hearts and minds to consider new options in resolving old problems. It asks us to release our hold on disappointed expectations, and to allow something new to come into our hearts.

For some, the road that has been trod into disappointment has been a long one, and so the new offering of hope may be difficult to feel, to anchor in, or to trust. There may have been many attempts in the past to hope, and many that have led to further disappointment and the loss of ideals. Nevertheless, we are at a new time, and the light of the present is infusing the heart to believe once again, and to look down the open road once again.

For the ideals that are deepest within the human heart are eternal ideals. They are wishes for love, and freedom, and happiness, and peace, and a way to express the truth that lies within. In the deepest sense, these ideals cannot be put down, no matter how hard one tries, or for how long they are ignored. They can be covered over, and buried, and denied, and appear to be left behind for years and decades at a time. But in the end, they will awaken because they must awaken, for the heart’s foundation lives in love and hope, and today it is being called to return to its spiritual roots and to find its deepest identity and core once again.

As the infusion of light penetrates more deeply into the Earth and into the consciousness of all, hope will expand and grow, overcoming obstacles that stand in the way. It will do so, not because of logical justifications or evidence presented in its favor, but because the force of light supports hope, and the heart that is open to its own light will find its way back to a new beginning.

Julie Redstone is a teacher, writer, and founder of Light Omega, a center for spiritual teaching and healing in Western Massachusetts. The purpose of Light Omega is to create an understanding of the sacred transition into light that the Earth is presently going through and the changes this will bring to individual and planetary consciousness.

I am not on the inside of any presidential campaign, but I consider myself to be a good student of politics. And as a writer, I have the luxury of going against the grain on campaigns and issues. I am also not a Republican — so I don’t expect the leaders of the Grand Old Party to take my advice. But as a political writer, I have an obligation to inform, and hopefully entertain my readers.

And plenty of readers will find the idea of a McCain-Giuliani ticket entertaining, if nothing else.

It’s not news that John McCain has locked up the Republican nomination and deservedly so. He was the most credible candidate on defense and national security and the best at making the case for long-term involvement in Iraq. He also holds no past shame in his votes on these issues. A debate between McCain and either of the likely Democratic nominees will undoubtedly be spirited. I cannot see either opponent taking cheap shots at McCain on military or foreign affairs; his credibility is far too strong.

However, McCain has proven to be weaker than either Democratic candidate on domestic policy. He merely espouses the usual Republican agenda: less regulation, lower taxes and limited government. He appears uncomfortable answering questions on, for instance, education and health care, than either Clinton or Obama.

I disagree with Republican pundits who say that Senator McCain should choose a running mate who is considerably younger and to the right of his views on social issues. For McCain to win, he will need to bring independents and Reagan Democrats into his corner. He will need swing states or to turn a large Democratic stronghold — like New York — into a swing state. He needs someone who could be entrusted on domestic policy, as defense and national security will be the first priorities of a McCain administration. He also needs an “attack dog” to confront Democratic positions on domestic policy.

Under these circumstances his best choice for a running mate is Rudy Giuliani.

I understand that Giuliani’s so-called conservative credentials could be questioned; his social issue positions were far more moderate during his two terms as Mayor of New York. He shepherded legislation granted gays and lesbians domestic partnership rights. There are also the “moral” concerns: he has been married three times and an affair contributed to the break-up of his second marriage. But I cannot see conservatives deserting the Republican Party or raising sufficient funds for a third-party candidate. McCain has inherited the Bush fundraising apparatus as well as the Rolodex. Conservative Republicans will not fracture their own party at the risk of seeing a Democratic opponent elected with less than a majority vote as Bill Clinton was in 1992.

Giuliani has the perfect resume to be McCain’s running mate. Giuliani has been:

• Chief executive of a culturally diverse city of over 8 million people, larger than 39 U.S states, including Massachusetts.

• The only Republican presidential candidate who has successfully defeated an African America opponent and a woman opponent in major elections.

• Credited with dramatic reductions in crime in the city he governed.

• Recognized as a hero on terrorism and national security.

• Connected to the Reagan revolution; in 1981 he was appointed by former president Reagan, to be Associate Attorney General, the third-highest position in the Department of Justice, overseeing the U.S. Attorney Offices’ federal law enforcement agencies, the Department of Corrections, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the United States Marshals Service.

• U.S. Attorney General for the Southern District of New York where his office amassed over 4,000 convictions, with heavy focus on insider trading, drug dealing, organized crime and corruption; his reputation as a crusader made him a mayor.

• Prepared to campaign against Senator Clinton; he was committed to run against her until he was diagnosed with prostrate cancer.

• Endorsed by Pat Robertson, who conservative credentials have been unquestioned; as I mentioned before, it’s foolish for conservatives to bite a hand that feeds them.

• An early opponent to endorse Senator McCain for the nomination; there is no animosity between the two men, as there is between McCain and Governor Romney.

Giuliani is certainly flawed and he has a record that a good Democratic “oppo-man” would love to sink his teeth into. Then again, Giuliani lost his first mayoral race by less than 50,000 votes and won his second by approximately 53,000 votes. No doubt the “oppo men” worked overtime back then to keep a Republican from becoming mayor of a Democratic stronghold.

Rudy Giuliani is the only Republican who could turn New York into a swing state, regardless of whether Clinton or Obama is the nominee. And nothing wins a presidential run like electoral votes.

Stuart Nachbar has been involved with education politics, policy and technology as a student, urban planner, government affairs manager, software executive, and now as author of The Sex Ed Chronicles. Visit his blog, Educated Quest.

Even though Barack Obama has only served in national office for three years, his ability to, as State Sen. Donne Trotter, a Democrat, says, be “a quick read, a quick study” compensates for the lack of experience.

Currently Barack is serving on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, which oversees our nation’s health care, schools, employment, and retirement programs. He is also a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, which helps shape our American policy around the world, including our policy in the Middle East and he serves on the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, which provides the care and services our veterans need.

In 2005 and 2006, he served on the Environment and Public Works Committee, which seeks to protect our environment and provides funding for our highway infrastructure.

Being on all of these committees and being a quick study, Barack Obama has gained a good understanding of how things work in the US Senate. In his book,”Audacity of Hope” written in 2006, he explains the interplay between the majority party and the minority party when negotiating on a bill.

He writes, “the majority party can begin every negotiation by asking for 100 per cent of what it wants, go on to concede 10 percent, and then accuse any member of the minority party who fails to support this “compromise” of being “obstructionist.” For the minority party in such circumstances, “bipartsonship” comes to mean getting chronically steamrolled, although individual senators may enjoy certain political rewards by consistently going along with the majority and hence gaining a reputation “moderate” or “centrist”.

He knows the give and take that takes place in the Senate and he used it to his advantage in both the Illinois Senate and the United States Senate. The legislators who worked with Obama in the Illinois Senate found that he was able to overcome his lack of experience with his ability to quickly grasp complicated issues. Senator Kirk Dillard acknowledged that Obama was “a full partner” in drafting and passing Illinois’ first major ethics law in 25 years. He also said that Obama helped create the state earned-income tax credit.

Accomplishments like these are rare “especially In a rough and tumble place driven by seniority like Illinois is,” Dillard says.

These accomplishments demonstrate Barack Obama’s ability to reach across the aisle and to get things done. Barack Obama has shown that knowledge and an ability to quickly grasp a situation go hand-in-hand with experience. Having the first compensates for the lack of experience.

Experience doesn’t guarantee success anymore than lack of experience causes failure. “What really matters is your temperament and your ability to make good decisions,” Dean Spiliotes, a political scientist at St. Anselm College in Manchester, N.H. says.

Barack Obama has also demonstrated his ability to piece together events and experiences to lay a foundation for his ideas and views on the issues. One has only to read his two books, “Dreams From My Father” and “The Audacity of Hope” to agree with Michiko Kakutani of the New York Times who writes, “[Barack Obama] is that rare politician who can actually write- and write movingly and genuinely about himself…[He] strives in these pages to ground his policy thinking in simple common sense…while articulating these ideas in level-headed, non-partisan prose.”

Indeed, Barack’s ability to write and to speak effectively and passionately as demonstrated in his address at the 2004 National Democratic Convention, will help alleviate any concern over his lack of experience. His record of getting things done across the aisle also demonstrates his ability to lead.

In fact, Barack Obama, if elected, would not be the least experienced president. He has more experience than Woodrow Wilson and George W. Bush had when they were elected. Wilson only had two years experience as New Jersey’s governor while George W. Bush served for six years as Texas governor before becoming president.

Does Barack Obama have the necessary prerequisites, the experience needed to be commander in chief? Can Barack Obama lead? Yes, he can!! Barack Obama Can!!

Susan Bernau writes articles that are newsworthy and to the point. More news and the latest news can be found at Barack Obama Can!!