JUSTICE BUILDING BLOG

WELCOME TO THE OFFICIAL RICHARD E GERSTEIN JUSTICE BUILDING BLOG. THIS BLOG IS DEDICATED TO JUSTICE BUILDING RUMOR, HUMOR, AND A DISCUSSION ABOUT AND BETWEEN THE JUDGES, LAWYERS AND THE DEDICATED SUPPORT STAFF, CLERKS, COURT REPORTERS, AND CORRECTIONAL OFFICERS WHO LABOR IN THE WORLD OF MIAMI'S CRIMINAL JUSTICE. POST YOUR COMMENTS, OR SEND RUMPOLE A PRIVATE EMAIL AT HOWARDROARK21@GMAIL.COM. Winner of the prestigious Cushing Left Anterior Descending Artery Award.

Friday, October 24, 2008

GENERAL POWELL SPEAKS

Kareem Rashad Sultan Khan is a Muslim.  He was killed in Iraq. 

One small important fact may change how you think of him. Kareen Rashad Sultan Khan was an American Solider killed in the line of duty. He received the purple heart and the bronze star. 

General Collin Powell saw a picture in the New Yorker magazine of Kareem Rashad Sultan Khan's mother with her face pressed up against the gravestone of her twenty year old son who will never turn twenty one.  And after staring at that picture for about an hour Collin Powell decided he had enough. 

As detailed in Maureen Dowd's Op Ed piece this past week, Powell went on Meet the Press last Sunday, and for the first time in this long debate we are having about about Muslims and Islam, expressed the true ideals of America:

From the Op Ed piece (the title links to the whole article)
He told Tom Brokaw that he was troubled by what other Republicans, not McCain, had said: “ ‘Well, you know that Mr. Obama is a Muslim.’ Well, the correct answer is, he is not a Muslim. He’s a Christian. He’s always been a Christian. But the really right answer is, what if he is? Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country? The answer’s no. That’s not America. Is something wrong with some 7-year-old Muslim-American kid believing that he or she could be president?”

Finally!! Someone with enough courage and gravitas to say what needed to be said. The issue is not whether Barak Obama is or was a Muslim. The issue is "who cares?" 

White Men blew up the Murrah federal building in Oklahoma in 1995, killing 168 people. Does that mean we don't want to elect a white man president? 

Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, and Germans invaded Europe twice in 30 years. The resulting two world wars killed over a hundred thousand americans. Does that mean a person of German or Asian descent should never hold elective office in the United States? 

We are a country of immigrants. We are a country founded by those who fled religious intolerance. We are NOT a Christian nation. We are NOT a Jewish nation. We are not a country that promotes any religion. It should not matter if Barak Obama is a Muslim. It should not matter if John McCain has German ancestors. 

What matters is that like Kareem Rashad Sultan Khan, they are Americans. And that is all that matters.  

Thank you General Powell for saying what needed to be said.  You know, if John McCain or Sarah Palin, or for that matter Hillary Clinton had said what Powell said, maybe they wouldn't be losing elections to Barak Obama. 


Presidential vote prediction: 
We are now ready to say that not only will Barak Obama win the presidency, it will be by a landslide in popular vote and with over 300  electoral votes.  General wisdom has the election narrowing as we lead up to the election. Not this time. McCain has a solid 40% of the vote. Obama has a solid 50% of the vote. The ten percent undecided will break for Obama 5 or 6 or 7 to 1. Obama will win almost  55% of the popular vote.

This is not wishful thinking. We analyzed  29 new state polls that were released in the last two days. Obama is leading in and will probably win solid Republican states like Montana, South Dakota, and Indiana. Right now we place the odds at 95% that Obama will win the presidency. Not only does McCain not have traction where he needs it in the polls, he is losing ground in key states like the Carolinas, West Virginia,  as well as the aforementioned Indiana.  If this trend keeps up, Obama will win with over 350 electoral votes.  

Write it down and remember it. October 24, 2008, Rumpole called this election as a landslide of Reagan"esque" proportions. Obama has the chance to become the transforming candidate that Bill Clinton never could be. 



17 comments:

Anonymous said...

I do not understand.

One candidate for President and his running mate keep talking about which religious leader the opponenet had the temerity to listen to, who he sat on a local board with, and calling him a socialist because he wants a 3% tax increase for those who make more than $250k, after deductions.

We are in two wars where are children are dying. The wars cost us nearly $15 billion a month, and the economy should scare the hell out of everyone who has never lived through hard times.

Yet 50 million Americans will vote for the persons who think that insulting the other candidate will somehow make their country safer and better.

I do not understand.

Anonymous said...

I just hope Obama will do something about the stock market and finally shut it down. All it does is rob from workers and destroy unions and kill the middle class and working class in this nation. I've never understoood why a society would allow that type of business arrangement. I'm not saying the govt should nationalize businesses, just not allow invisible predators to be involved in our businesses, which are part of our social functions. No man is an island.

Anonymous said...

"Yet 50 million Americans will vote for the persons who think that insulting the other candidate will somehow make their country safer and better."

I think you may have hit it dead on.

Rumpole said...

No.Obama is not going to shut down the stock market. He is not going to nationalize the banking system (Bush already did that de facto). He is going to do what even Alan Greenspan now realizes must be done- institute some measure of oversight over markets and financial institutions because as we now see, markets should act in rational self interest, but on rare occasions they do not. On those rare occasions (twice in 100 years in the US. The great depression and now) we need some governmental intervention to help return the market to balance.

Obama is not going to do anything more than revamp and add substance to what Bush and Paulson have been doing on the fly- with about a trillion dollars of our money.

Anonymous said...

Rumpole:

1. The United States is a Christian nation.

2. Barack Obama is a Muslim.

3. Muslims should not be trusted in any positions of national authority.

4. Jews are fine, as long as they convert to Christianity.

5. Good, patriotic Americans only vote for good Christians like John McCain and Sarah Palin.

6. My disbarment is effective Monday, so I am going to be filing at least 5000 lawsuits today against whoever I can think of. Although I detest that Muslim Obama, I am going to adopt his "50 state" strategy, and add some federal strategy as well, in my final quest for justice.

/s/ Fake Jack Thompson, Attorney for not much longer

Anonymous said...

mike,

You're obsession with formal reviews and the firing of that sandra chick is mildly disturbing. No other lawyer emails all of facdl daily updating the progress of their cases and the accompanying rants

Anyone know how to block emails from specific people on the facdl list serve?

Anonymous said...

What has Obama accomplished that gives you such confidence that he can solve the problems of our Country? Give me one example of a problem he has solved in his public life.

Anonymous said...

I hope your right Rump! Lets not forget about the Supreme Court vacancies that will have to be filled.

Rumpole said...

I can't give you one problem john Mccain solved either. I don't know either of them personally well enough to answer that question. I do know that independent reviews of their proposed programs have led to some startling opinions: That McCain's proposed health care plan will have a net effect of less people insured after 5 years, while Obama's will have an effect of 85% of uninsured getting insurance. I do know that the same independent study said Obama's plan would cost 1 trillion dollars over ten years, or half of what we are wasting in Iraq.

I know that McCain's tax plan would give me an enormous tax break and that I will pay more taxes under Obama, and I know that I will not stop working hard to earn that money and I will invest better to make that money back and that I have no problem in paying more money if uninsured children stop dying of tooth infections because they don't have health insurance- I reported that story on the blog earlier this year.

And I know this- If the president dies while Russia is invading Europe or North Korea is shooting missiles at south korea or while Iran is attacking Israel, then I sure as HELL WANT JOE BIDEN AND NOT SARAH PALIN CALLING THE SHOTS FROM THE OVAL OFFICE.

I trust Collin Powell. I trust Republican Senator Dick Luger. I trust Warren Buffett.

I don't trust a bunch of know nothing, anti-intelligence, Jesus spouting morons who believe that the key to winning an election is calling people "dude", whispering that Obama is a muslim, and who believe foreign policy experience comes from living near-by another nation (Alaska and Russia)

Anonymous said...

11;15, Exactly what Jack would say. Don't tell me you're channeling the guy. The world doesn't need another Jack Thompson.

Rump if the weather behaves this weekend I'm taking the yacht out. Satisfaction and entertainment of the Latin persuasion guaranteed.
Care to come aboard?

Anonymous said...

Rump, well said. The picture is very moving.
moving.

Anonymous said...

Rumpole

I agree with you on EVERYTHING but the tax issue. You are an older rich man. I think you might even be Roy Black. But sitting from where I sit, kids and all, I don't like the idea of paying more taxes. I think paying 36% of my money is plenty. If the government wastes it on a war or a government bailout or whatever, don't ask for more. It is very difficult to make money and it hurts to give it to a government that is so careless. For some reason Obama thinks people who make more then 250k should be taxed more. Well, try supporting kids a wife a house cars gas food insurance,,, the government,,, utility bills rent for an office secretary phones etc etc. It aint easy being a pimp!
In the end though, BUSH is such a fucking jerk off that OBAMA has my vote-but not by much..

Anonymous said...

Obama has a lot less experience in government that Sarah Palin. I don't understand how grown people are salivating over an inexperienced unknown like teenagers over a rock star.

Anonymous said...

7:29-- Didn't Palin spend over 100grand on her wardrobe and a $100.00 outfit for her son?
Do all 'average hockey moms' as she prides herself in being spend that much?

Anonymous said...

Rump--great post about Colin Powell, a man I have long respected and now truly admire. His answer was the right one and hopefully has put a major issue to rest. One thing I've always loved about Powell is that he speaks his mind and does what he thinks is best for the country, his party or the President be damned. Hopefully he will play an important role in the Obama administration--our country needs all the talented people it can get right now, of both parties, and Powell fits the mold well.

Defense-lawyer-for-the-princess--I posted the "fake Jack Thompson comment." It speaks for himself, and relates very well to Rumpole's post about the NY Times endorsement of Obama.

Anonymous said...

I don't trust politicians with my tax money. Obama is going to tax us far higher than the already ridiculous amount we pay already in federal, state and local taxes. High taxes are proven killers of productivity and growth. So, don't be stupid and don't let yourself be suckered by the adoring media and cheering crowds that fawn about a person with 143 days of experience. Charismatic leaders usually leave bad legacies.

Anonymous said...

12:20, Understood.