Reporting from Washington —

A congressional panel set the stage Monday for an ethics trial for Rep. Maxine Waters, one of Los Angeles’ most enduring liberal politicians, over her actions involving a bank with ties to her husband that received federal bailout funds.

Without detailing the accusations, the House Ethics Committee released an investigative report that found “substantial reason” to believe that Waters may have violated ethics rules. The case centers on a meeting Waters set up in September 2008, during the financial crisis, between Treasury Department officials and representatives of minority-owned banks.

But discussion at the meeting “centered on a single bank — OneUnited,” according to the report by the Office of Congressional Ethics. Waters’ husband, Sidney Williams, served on the OneUnited board from 2004 to 2008, and at the time of the September meeting was a stockholder in the bank, the report said.

Three months after Waters, a senior member of the House committee that oversees banking, called then-Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson to set up the meeting, OneUnited received $12 million in bailout funds.

A defiant Waters — a South Los Angeles political fixture who won election to the state Assembly in 1976 and to Congress in 1990 — vowed Monday to fight the charges.

“I have not violated any House rules. Therefore, I simply will not be forced to admit to something I did not do,” she said. “The record will clearly show that in advocating on behalf of minority banks, neither my office nor I benefited in any way, engaged in improper action or influenced anyone.”

Unless a settlement is reached, Waters, 71, will face a trial, probably this fall, before an eight-member panel of fellow House members evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans. Punishment for ethics violations can range from reprimand to censure and even expulsion from the House.

The case comes as Rep. Charles B. Rangel (D-N.Y.), another prominent member of the Congressional Black Caucus, faces trial on 13 ethics violations, adding to Democrats’ woes as they fight to hold onto their House majority in the November midterm election. The House GOP campaign committee pounced on the ethics cases, attacking Democrats for being “mired in the swamp they once promised to drain.”

“It’s yet another headache that congressional Democrats don’t need right now,” said John J. Pitney Jr., a political scientist at Claremont McKenna College.

Waters is accused of three ethics violations, according to a congressional source familiar with the case who spoke on condition of anonymity, citing the sensitivity of the proceedings.

The committee won’t make public the charges against Waters until it releases the findings of its own investigation when Congress returns from its summer recess in September. A committee statement issued Monday said the eight-member panel would “determine whether any counts in the statement of alleged violation have been proved by clear and convincing evidence.”

The 80-page report from the Office of Congressional Ethics, an independent body created by Congress after a spate of scandals, was completed about a year ago but made public Monday.

In a section titled “Rep. Waters’ Apparent Recognition of Conflict of Interest,” the report noted that Waters told a House colleague — believed to be Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) — about her concerns for OneUnited but that she was “in a predicament” because her husband had been involved in the bank.

Even though investigators did not identify Frank by name, they did identify “Representative A” in their report as “chairman of the House Financial Services Committee,” a position Frank holds.

According to a memo summarizing an interview with Frank, investigators wrote that Waters told him she was “in a predicament because Sidney had been involved in the bank, but OneUnited people were coming to her for help. She knew she should say no, but it bothered her.”

Frank told The Times in a 2009 interview that Waters was concerned about the plight of minority-owned banks, as was he.

“She acknowledged that ‘Sidney had been on the board. I could have a conflict here,’ ” Frank said in the interview. “I said, ‘Fine, just stay out of it, I’ll deal with it.’ ”

Since the bank was based in Frank’s home state, he offered to have his staff look into the institution’s problems.

Waters’ spokesman said the conversations with Frank took place weeks after the meeting with Treasury Department officials.

Waters, however, said the Office of Congressional Ethics had “drawn negative inferences where there are none and twisted facts to fit its faulty conclusions.”

She said that the meeting was requested on behalf of the National Bankers Assn., a trade organization representing minority-owned banks, “not on behalf of OneUnited Bank as has been suggested.”

She said the meeting resulted in “no action.”

The Office of Congressional Ethics “failed to show that I received any benefit or engaged in any ‘improper exercise of official influence,’ ” Waters said.

Waters has defended her efforts as consistent with her longtime work to promote opportunity for minority-owned businesses and lending in underserved communities.

But the report expressed concern about OneUnited’s “singular role” in the Sept. 9, 2008, meeting.

When the meeting was held, a lawyer for the National Bankers Assn. was present, but OneUnited was the only bank represented, the report said.

The Office of Congressional Ethics said that was “cause for concern,” given that the National Bankers Assn. represents 103 banks, including two in the Washington area. Waters did not attend the meeting.

“Further evidence of what appears to be OneUnited’s singular role in the Sept. 9 meeting is the fact that e-mails provided by Rep. Waters’ office show Mr. [Kevin] Cohee, the bank’s CEO, inviting individuals to the meeting,” the report said. “This contradicts Rep. Waters’ and the chief of staff to Rep. Waters’ comments that the [National Bankers Assn.] decided who would attend the meeting.”

Waters’ husband was on the bank board until April 21, 2008, the report said. According to Waters’ 2008 financial disclosure report, Williams held investments in OneUnited valued between $500,000 and $1 million.

Paulson, interviewed by investigators, said Waters did not mention her husband’s ties to the bank.

Waters has previously come under scrutiny for activities that benefited her family financially. The Times reported in 2004 that family members had made more than $1 million by doing business with companies, candidates and causes that the congresswoman helped. Her husband, a former professional football linebacker turned Mercedes-Benz salesman, was named ambassador to the Bahamas by President Clinton in 1993.

Asked how her husband became a board member of the bank, Waters told investigators she could not recall.

“He takes care of his business and I take care of mine,” she was quoted as saying.

richard.simon@latimes.com

Seriously, what if every home across the United States were given a free computer that would act as a sort of centralized government information center where citizens could find out whatever they needed to know about their local, state and federal government, with the ability to keep up to date on the latest laws, trends and issues, do their taxes, and actually vote on issues online throughout the year from the comforts of their home and much, much, more?  This would be a game changer.

The government information center will not be able to surf the internet for entertainment or serve as a workstation for work and/or projects nor will the system contain recording devices and/or a web cam to keep track of people.

Rather, the system is a technology tool where responsible citizens actually take control of the destiny of the United States of America.  Such technology is actually being developed by a company called Interconnect 365.   The system one day might actually replaced elected officials as the pulse of the American people could be registered and heard no different than votes being taken by American Idol.  Obviously the online voting system will be a lot more complex and secure than voting online with your normal computer and/or over a smart phone as the system would be certified and registered perhaps tying into a U.S. Census type of platform.  The need for elected officials will still be there but the voice of the American people will be heard as elected officials will be mandated to use the system as the power will be given back to the people.  If a tie were to happen then the topic would be addressed in public debate.

In order for a system such as this to work the entire population of the United Sates would need to be retrained starting in our schools.  Imagine kids being taught what the constitution actually means as becoming part of the American legislative process was no different than learning English and/or Math.   There is much to be done in order to develop an actual working system such as this but an immediate first step that can be implemented across the United States is called eCongress, “Bring Home the Politicians”.

According to the “Bring Home the Politicians” website, http://bringhomethepoliticians.com/ the mission of the movement is:

“TO ESTABLISH AN eCONGRESS TO RELOCATE US REPRESENTATIVES TO OUR LOCAL DISTRICTS, US SENATORS TO OUR STATE CAPITALS, AND STATE REPRESENTATIVES & STATE SENATORS TO OUR CITY HALLS/COURTHOUSES TO SECURELY TELECOMMUTE FOR NO LESS THAN 75% OF THEIR TERMS TO INCREASE VOTER ACCESS AND REDUCE LOBBYIST INFLUENCE”.

After reading more information about this movement and watching a few videos, eCongress actually makes a lot of sense and is something more American’s need to be made aware of as this is an actual movement taking place with a lot of states already onboard.

Today, it is important to realize we can not buy ourselves out of debt.  Rather we must start focusing on the local economy regardless if we live in a global community.  Also, people need to get involved in serving their local community.  Civic responsibility must become a core American value.  Unfortunately many American’s, both rich and poor, are not involved in their local communities and in many cases lack the information on how to become involved.  Serving one another can come in a full range of different opportunities as such opportunities are endless.  Supporting your local community and serving one another equates into “Love Thy Neighbor” and “Love One Another”.  Yet if American’s today do not start examining and/or implementing such ideas as this the sovereignty of the United States of America is at risk.

It is critical and essential to have a sound and healthy government.  Today it is not.

In order to implement such ideas as eCongress we will need to spread the message of the movement.  One potential way of spreading the message of “Bring Home the Politicians” is having local community and faith based organizations adopt such platforms, such as Optimist International, Rotary, Kiwanis and other non-union organizations who are already engaged and involved in local communities across the United States.

When such a system is implemented our elected officials would be held more accountable by the local citizens who put them in power because they would spend the majority of their time in the local community.  The possibilities of tying the eCongress system into a automated eGoverment system installed in homes will be revolutionary as the first step right now in the present moment is to educated yourself about eCongress and how to “Bring Home the Politican’s”.

Below is a video about the movement.  If you love America and want a better future for the United States it is important to ask yourself, “If not now, then when”?

Written by: William Michael, Democracy March

When America was introduced to the radio a national network of transmitters connected one coast to the other as American’s, no matter where you lived in the country, started to learn about each other.  American’s not only would be connected to each other, they were now connected to the outside world.

Today we couldn’t even imagine what that world must have been like.  We are connected to each other in a unique way that we have now taken for granted.  Early American’s in the 1930’s did not.  Primitive connectivity was an evolution for a people as awareness beyond their local towns was now created, whether for good or for bad.

As the once closed world of connectivity became the open world of information, as elementary as it was, people became aware of the horrors occurring in nations around the world, such as in Germany.

Many comparisons are made between then and now, rightfully so.  Sure, high employment, economic disaster, and the evolution of communication, but there are two major differences.

The first is people weren’t afraid to work.  Not only were they not afraid to work, they worked hard, really hard.  Imagine living in a world where there were no computers, air conditioning, malls, and fast food restaurants. There was no television, video games, cell phones, or in most cases phones as we known of them today.  The world was completely different yet today we often keep making comparisons between then and now.

The second is that American’s were being introduced to global affairs such as the rise of Germany.  People cared because it was new information.  There was still a sense of innocence across America, though there were horrible years such as the revolution, civil war and slavery.  Sure these were horrible years for our country, but there was still a sense of innocence amongst the people as the information being received was unique and hitting people at the heart because it had never done so before.

Also to be considered along these lines is that perhaps it was because the majority of people were a people of faith.  This is not the kind of faith that we think of today.  Rather it is a true faith.  A faith that wasn’t questioned as it is today.  The biggest difference between people of faith was what denomination you belonged.   This faith of the 1930’s was strong and nothing stood in its way as an entire people under One God expanded a nation and created the infrastructure and industries we see today because they knew all things are possible through God.

If you take these two major differences into consideration you will see that the America of today and the America of the 1930’s are completely different.

Today we have become numb on current affairs.  Nothing seems to affect us at all. The American spirit is gone.  The American spirit we see today isn’t the same as the 1930’s.  Today the American spirit is rooted in judgment, mistrust, hate, power, and supremacy.  God is nowhere to be found and those who claim God is at the center of their lives and the groups they belong is often completely opposite of the true God.  We must call this god a lower case god.  This lower case god can be found everywhere coming from the lying lips of those who utter freedom and One Nation under god, through the lens of ungodly lives surrounded by pride, greed, envy, wrath, sloth, gluttony, and lust.   However, we must not hate or get mad at these people because they don’t even realize what they are doing and/or creating.

American’s in the 1930’s weren’t afraid to get their hands dirty and do whatever it took to get a job or the job done.  Sure, World War II woke up the entire nation and created huge industries.  But seriously, what if a time of war occurred like World War II and all the comforts of our world were taken away? Would we really rise to the occasion or would we continue with the outsourcing spirit as we sit by waiting for the Government to answer all of our questions to come up with solutions?

America was the beacon of light on top of the hill, but its time has come and gone.  Rather America is still up on top of the hill and its light is just about to go out as a garbage dump takes its place filled with a people who are worst than the nastiest infected blackhead anyone could ever get on his or her face.

So where do we go from here?  Is it doom and gloom?  We could have risen to the occasion after September 11, 2001 but we failed to do so.  In recent years we could have created local jobs for the long haul through protectionism yet capitalism dictates we must continue to expand to other areas of the world due to greed.

Socialism and communism do not work.  Perhaps, and only perhaps a true wake up call will happen is when everything, including the economy, completely collapses, and the lies beneath the motivations of our lifestyles are exposed for what they are.  Perhaps only then, people will have no other way to look but up to realize, perhaps discover for the first time, and in many cases look beyond the pains of the past and preconceived notions of faith, that we are truly One Nation Under God as the God who would like for us to follow him, not force us to follow because we have freewill, requires a completely different way of living life not too different from the 1930’s.  Of course we would need to correct the mistakes of the past and perhaps the American spirit will be sparked once again.

If history does repeat itself, we must start asking these hard questions through open debate outside the cable / television airwaves in local public arenas.   The only difference is whether or not we rise out of our sloth and do what we know is right in our hearts.  However, its sad to see racism on the rise as people of color are now waging a war against those who are not as the mistakes of the past are once again repeating themselves.  Our leaders say whatever they need to say to get votes to stay in power.

If you are agnostic and/or atheist, I am not looking to convert you but rather I write what I am about to say to address a people who call themselves people of faith.  We are all brothers and sisters under God. We are all in this together but unfortunately many of us in this category are not living as if that were the case and as a result our eyes have been closed though you don’t even realize this is the case.

Early American’s truly cared and loved our country.  Most importantly they loved God.  Today we are indicating we do not really care about these types of issues except for one’s own personal gain whether it is for millions of dollars or a welfare check.

What do you think?

Let me know here or at DemocaryMarch.org

If not now, then when?

Yet President Obama has made it clear in various high profile speeches that the Arizona law is about racial profiling as he has suggested minorities should be scared and upset.  It is apparent Obama has finally read the actual immigration law because he has quietly backed down from his prior position.

With all the controversy his speeches have made perhaps it’s time for him and Democrat Leaders to come clean regarding the law so there will no longer be any confusion in the public arena.

Should Obama publicly apologize for his comments?

What do you think?

If not now, then when?

Much of the problems we see today are due to individuals saying one thing and living a completely opposite way, especially so-called Christians and/or believers in Jesus Christ or better yet anyone who has a belief in a higher power.

Statistics will show that the opinion of a majority will usually dictate the direction of a trend.  Does this still hold true in the American society where lust, gluttony, greed, laziness, wrath, and envy are the cornerstone of most people’s lives?  The sad part is people seem to enjoy living this way as what you see broadcasted on TV, radio and Internet is a clear indication.

Children are a reflection of their parents.  What a child perceives and is taught from an early age will have an influence on how they will become, whether good or bad.  But let’s not classify what is good and bad for the sake of this article.

Hollywood is the center of the entertainment industry.  The 50 square mile radius around Hollywood affects the entire world.  It’s ironic that less than 25 miles away from Hollywood is Chatsworth, California the notorious capital of the pornography industry.  Yet do people even think about how the entertainment industry is creating the world we see today just like a child being influenced by their parents?

Is the world being held hostage by a small group of media executives who realize lust, greed, wrath, and envy increases ratings and sells more products regardless of the moral decay of the American society, and now slowly most modern societies around the world? I think not as greed is greed and perhaps they are giving us exactly what we want.

Today we point our fingers at everything that is wrong with the world and what is out of order around us.  How easy is it to blame someone else for the problems of the American society, whether it is another nation, religion, presidential leader or perhaps people that are closest to us.  And how difficult it is to take ultimate responsibility for our own actions regardless of how big or small.

It’s amazing how our political leaders and news commentators are all about self-promotion.  People are plugged to the television watching the latest news, getting upset at the mistakes of the past and talking about restoration yet the EGO of these individuals are getting huge as ratings have always been about being #1.  The sad part is these programs offer very little advise on what we need to do right now.

Complain, complain, complain, progressives, liberals, conservatives, socialists or whatever the label but nothing is ever getting done beyond a rally or big talk from big headed people who can’t get anything done other than spending, spending, and spending from both American political parties over the years as the American people sit silently by doing nothing other than voting for political leaders as if it’s a popularity contest versus being based on facts.

Enough talk about cutting federal spending, or financial reform, or globalization.  The time is now to start making the difference in our own individual lives.

What I am about to say is directed at Christian’s and Christian’s only though it pertains to anyone out there who feels they want to rise above the sheep and cattle to become a more socially responsible person.

Wake up now!  We are a majority of the population in the United States.  Where are the Christian pastors who are supposed to be leading their flocks?  What we see is an embarrassment across the United States especially from the media industry yet you fail to do anything at all.   How many of you Christians actually want to be holy versus trying to be holy every Sunday at church?  If you were truly being Christians the reflection of our society would be completely different.  Period.  We wouldn’t have as much violence on television and in the real world, sex outside of marriage, profanity, adulterous relationships, divorce, and abortion.   Yet the majority of you Christians think you are going to heaven when you die because you profess from your mouth “Jesus Christ is my personal Lord and Savior”… Don’t you?

Give me a break as entire nation of Christians is headed straight to hell, if you aren’t already living in it right now, because our pastors and priests fail to do what is right.  You hypocrites, backsliding, destroyers of society as your ways have become evil and in your evilness you fail to see what is right and what is wrong.

You have given a bad name Jesus Christ and as a result you are leading the way for the entire world to burn because of your failure to do what is right.  What do you think the world sees when you profess being Catholic and Christian yet at the same time usher in legislation to legalize abortion?

We have become a nation of spoiled individuals who feel entitled to everything they have.  Enough is never enough as you continue to rape and pillage an entire world so you can have the comforts of materialism.  Yeah sure, sit by and do nothing as you proclaim in your little inner circles, “Well I am Christian and I believe in the rapture, so I really don’t have to worry about doom and gloom because I won’t have to be here to see all that”.  Are you serious?  An entire generation of Christians sitting back doing absolutely nothing to help the world, regardless if you believe in global warming or not, or whatever the cause may be, but you rather sit by and secretly watch your porn, watch whomever get their brains blown out on the latest prime time television episode while millions of your so-call brethren around the world who are truly living Christian lives in poverty are being murder.

Then again what do I know, right?

Our society deserves everything it has coming to it.  It is so sad to see the United States fall.  Yet until we all wake up, now I am addressing everyone, and start living with principals, only then can the path be changed because we are all in this game together if you call yourself a Christian or fellow citizen of the United States of America.  How about taking the first step and stop blaming and judging, versus starting to live our lives righteously.  I have no excuses as I’ve been the worst of us all, yet I’ve recently made my decision, so when are you?

Believe it or not I am starting to have more respect for the Atheists, though I will never walk away from my incredible relationship with Jesus Christ, because at least they seem to stick to what they believe.

Only when true men of God step up to the plate and take a position of leadership in our Christian churches, regardless of their upbringing and/or background, only then can an entire society of faith once again fall down on their hands and knees to proclaim we are One Nation Under God.

If not now, then when?

Let me know what you think at DemocracyMarch.org

As Christian believers we associate ourselves with a basic understanding of Jesus Christ as we attempt to live our lives as closely as possible to the Holy Bible.  Yet within Christianity there is so much hate and misunderstanding about the different type of Christian denominations and their associated traditions.  This type of misunderstanding is an undermining of everything we are trying to accomplish in a movement in order to correct the mistakes of our government and leaders to put America on the right path that is based on the principals of our founding fathers.

This type of behavior extends beyond the Christian faith and is active and alive on a wide variety of social economic levels.  Black, brown, yellow, red, inner city, corporations, Middle East, Asian, Jewish, Buddhist, etc. I think you get the point.

Today it seems so many of us are caught up in the latest hype of what our political commentators and/or leaders are trying to convince an entire population to believe on what is right and what is wrong versus making decisions for ourselves based on the principals we say we want to believe.  But at the core of these so-called “good intentions” are a large number of people living far from the moral principals they should, and in many cases so am I.

American’s are great at classifying people, especially people who are different.  For example, the entire Middle East society might be deemed “evil” or “terrorists” because a certain percentage of the population is radical.  This type of classification is dangerous and is no different than evangelical Christians calling Catholic’s evil or non-Christians because of whatever miscommunication they may have received and/or lack of any type of education about being Catholic.  This is hatred at its finest yet it seems a large majority of American’s justify this type of behavior.

Do we really understand the problems and issues we face as a nation?  Or are we running around saying whatever it is that we have heard on the nightly Fox News report without actually researching what is being discussed on the tube without taking any action to learn more about the subject on our own?

One day we might have a world leader show up on the global scene and tell us all exactly what we want to hear as an era of peace is proclaimed around the world.  Yet, until a personal transformation happens within us all there can never be long lasting peace.  People need to change themselves first versus always thinking someone else is going to solve their problems and the issues of the world.  The hardest 12 inches mankind will ever have to travel is from his mind into his heart.

So ask yourself, what type of person of faith are you or not?  Do you label and judge others without ever knowing the facts about what you are judging, criticizing, labeling, or saying?  The world doesn’t need any more people on the sidelines barking out of their mouths their disgusts at the world without taking any action.

Whether you are a believer or not in Jesus Christ, the commandment that He told the world still holds true in a world of unbelievers which is, “Love one another”, and “Love thy neighbor”.

How are you doing with this in your life?  Perhaps instead of making Fox News or whatever your source of religion that is sparking the conviction of change you feel we all need to have right now to put America back on track, why don’t you start taking inventory of your life and ask yourself, “How do I love myself” and better yet, “How do I love my neighbor”?  It’s time to become accountable as individuals.

The time is now to make the changes in our own individual lives.  Only when we do, if ever, will any meaningful change take place in the United States, even as great as the Tea Party or third party movement may seem to others as the real change needs to take place in our hearts and homes.

If you are a Christian, no matter what denomination, perhaps today is the day you start showing more tolerance and understanding to those who also believe in Jesus Christ.  The Muslim’s are pretty good at being one voice, so when do the Christians finally start doing the same and get organized?

If not now, then when?

Let me know what you think on DemocracyMarch.org

Growing up in America has been an awesome experience though my life has been filled with lots of ups and downs. Though the downs have been difficult I can honestly say that I was the only one responsible for the pains that I suffered.

The great thing about America is being in control of your own destiny, as the true meaning of will free is something I know I have not fully appreciated. The ability to worship God without anyone telling me what I need to think or how I should pray is truly liberating yet is difficult at the same time especially when I have never felt the pain and suffering of living in a country outside of America where one’s life could be lost because of faith.

Living in America I have been granted every privilege considering I grew up in a family, like a majority of American’s that was not wealthy. From my earliest memories I can remember YMCA Indian Guides with my Dad, a limited time with the Boy Scouts, being an altar boy, soccer, t-ball, ROTC, attending private school, family vacations across the country and world as I was truly blessed to have a father who worked for a major airline so I could see the world.

I can remember traveling the world and realizing how fortunate I was to live in America. As strange as this might sound, I wasn’t appreciative of my status as an American citizen as well as feeling content with the things I had and the how great it was to live in United States. Instead I did the opposite. I felt entitled and wanted more and more regardless of how I had to get it.

My younger years were difficult as nothing was ever good enough. No matter what I did there didn’t seem to be consequences and when there were consequences it was hardly punishment. Looking back I often asked myself what went wrong.

To be honest, I fell into the trap of entitlement. I felt I deserved whatever it is I wanted because of a lack of appreciation for what I had or any consideration as to the hard work others had to make in order for me to live the way I do.

I didn’t have to fight an American revolution or put my life on the line for any world war. In fact, I didn’t have to do anything at all except enjoy freedom. Yet, freedom isn’t free and how could I appreciate freedom when I was able to get whatever it is I wanted?

The American foundation has been built upon the pains of those who have lived and died in the name of freedom since the beginning of the United States. Blood, sweat, and tears is what makes America strong versus the years where American’s like me haven’t had to do anything to enjoy the freedom associated with citizenship.

I am one of the entitled ones I often write about in disgust. Being 39 years old I am part of a generation who feels entitled who in turn have created children who feel even a greater sense of entitlement.

My parents had it rough growing up and wanted a better life for me. As a result they were not tough on us when it was time to be punished. This made me soft, though I appreciate what my parents did because they didn’t want me to have the same life they had. The result has been that many of us in my generation have had difficult lives because lack of moral values. Don’t get me wrong; I grew up in a great Christian family with amazing parents with strong moral values, yet I didn’t really care about my faith or others until way later in my life. Who cared if I hurt someone in the process of getting what I want. This attitude of entitlement has created even more socially irresponsible entitled children who don’t even remember or care about the history of the United States. This attitude is being amplified because of the lack of discipline in the home and the nightmare our schools have become due the lack of God and any moral values in the classroom.

Yet, repentance is what makes America great. We are One Nation Under God. Though it happened later in my life God was there waiting for me to wake up to one day and let me go back into his arms. He never gave up on me nor has he ever given up on anyone while they still have any breath of life in their lungs.

Being a believer in God has been liberating especially living in a society with complete freedom. Sure, we complain about our freedom and liberties being taken away, but seriously we still have a few good years to fight the good fight. Early American’s had it far tougher prior to the American Revolution. How much easier do we have it especially when we realize God is in control?

I love America as I apologize this 4th of July to every American I may have ever hurt as I send out a big thank you to those who have fought the good fight and sweated the blood and tears that have established what we know as the United States of America.

The hard times we are facing as a nation will only wake more people up like me and ensure the future of the United States is based on strong moral values. I have hope for America and look to the great achievement of our potential future.

Times of uncertainty are good for the United States as the last thing we want are years like I lived where there wasn’t a good fight to fight and freedom was taken for granted. Rather, the time is now to truly give thanks for living in the greatest country to ever exist, yet at the same time we much truly start praying for others to awaken to the knowledge of God because the march of all marches is about to take place.

The lines are being drawn in the sand and the lines aren’t being either blue or red, or republican, democrat or tea party. The line is either you are with God or you are against God. Being a strong Christian man, though I still have a lot to do in order to turn my life around, I will do everything I can until my last breath to help bring the people of the United States back to the reality that we are One Nation Under God.

If not now, then when will we all awaken to this reality? We must put the mistakes of our past behind us and put God back on the throne as you thoughts, comments and responses are welcomed at DemocracyMarch.org.

Happy 4th of July and God Bless America!

Your feedback is greatly appreciated as we must start creating solutions now.

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele on Friday declared his opposition to the Afghanistan war, saying the nine-year-old conflict was of President “Obama’s choosing,” and that the mission is “probably a lost cause” – prompting at least one prominent Republican to call for his resignation.

Steele made the comments at a fundraiser in Connecticut just two days after the Senate unanimously confirmed Gen. David Petraeus as the new U.S. commander in Afghanistan. Petraeus is taking over for Gen. Stanley McChrystal, who was ousted over his and his aides’ scornful remarks of Obama’s national security team to Rolling Stone magazine, at a time when America’s casualty rate in the war is at record high and the offensive is falling short of expectations.

“This was a war of Obama’s choosing,” Steele said. “This is not something United States had actively prosecuted or wanted to engage in.”

The war in Afghanistan began shortly after the September 11, 2001, terror attacks, in the first year of President George W. Bush’s first term. Obama, at the time, was a state senator in Illinois.

“It was [Obama] who was trying to be cute by half by flipping a script demonizing Iraq, while saying the battle really should be in Afghanistan,” Steele said in his delivery, which was posted on YouTube. “Well, if he’s such a student of history, has he not understood that you know that’s the one thing you don’t do, is engage in land war in Afghanistan? All right, because everyone who has tried, over a thousand years of history, has failed.”

Steele’s comments led William Kristol, editor of the conservative magazine The Weekly Standard, to call upon the GOP chairman to resign over the July 4 weekend as “an act of service for the country you love.”

“At a time when Gen. Petraeus has just taken over command, when Republicans in Congress are pushing for a clean war funding resolution, when Republicans around the country are doing their best to rally their fellow citizens behind the mission, your comment is more than an embarrassment,” Kristrol said in a letter to Steele.

“It’s an affront, both to the honor of the Republican Party and to the commitment of the soldiers fighting to accomplish the mission they’ve been asked to take on by our elected leaders,” he wrote.

“There are, of course, those who think we should pull out of Afghanistan, and they’re certainly entitled to make their case,” Kristol added. “But one of them shouldn’t be the chairman of the Republican Party.”

Erick Erickson, the editor of the popular conservative website RedState.com and an opinion driver among younger Republicans, also called for Steele’s ouster.

“Michael Steele must resign. He has lost all moral authority to lead the GOP,” Erickson said.

Fox News contributor Karl Rove, a senior White House adviser to former President George W. Bush called Steele’s comments “boneheaded,” saying the Afghanistan war was “chosen for us by the people who ran Afghanistan — the Taliban and their allies, Al Qaeda.”

Democratic National Committee spokesman Brad Woodhouse said it was “simply unconscionable that Michael Steele would undermine the morale of our troops when what they need is our support and encouragement. Michael Steele would do well to remember that we are not in Afghanistan by our own choosing, that we were attacked and that his words have consequences.”

Steele sought later to clarify his comments by noting that Obama said on the presidential campaign trail that the U.S. should concentrate fighting the war on terror in Afghanistan, not Iraq.

“Now, as president, he has indeed shifted his focus to this region,” he said in a written statement. “That means this is his strategy. And, for the sake of security of the free world, our country must give our troops the support necessary to win this war.”

“As we have learned throughout history, winning a war in Afghanistan is a difficult task,” he added. “We must also remember that after the tragedy of Sept. 11, 2001, it is also a necessary one. That is why I supported the decision to increase our troop force and, like the entire United States Senate, I support Gen. Petraeus’ confirmation. The stakes are too high for us to accept anything but success in Afghanistan.”

Steele has been prone to gaffes that have enraged congressional Republicans. In the last year, he predicted the GOP won’t win House control this fall. He also drew GOP ire when he criticized fellow Republicans in a book that party leaders didn’t know he was writing until it was published. His GOP critics were irked further when he told them to “get a life” and “shut up.”

Earlier this year, his oversight of the RNC was called into question because of lavish spending, including money to entertain donors at a lesbian bondage club in Los Angeles.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The headlines of the liberal papers read:

“Why We Must Pass the Wall Street Reform Bill”, “Redesigning the International Approach to Climate Change”, “Obama’s Speech on Immigration Reform: A High Moment of Vision”, “Expired Unemployment Benefits Causing Panic, Desperation: ‘I’m Drowning Fast’”, “Dem Congressman: Unemployment Standoff ‘A Class Warfare Issue’”, “Immigration: Is Obama the New Lincoln?”, “Listen All Y’all, It’s a Republican Sabotage”, “GOP Senator On The Tea Party: ‘Just Unsustainable,’ No ‘Coherent Vision,’ Will ‘Die Out”.

I could go on and on and talk is talk.  When is action going to be taken beyond showing up at rallies and letting our voices be heard at the polls from our side of the camp?  We must change an entire economy / culture and the way it operates.  If not now, then when as I start this video series to discuss the many issues we face as a people of faith as the hard questions must be asked, “When do we start laying the foundations within our local communities anchored on the faith based community without any government controls”

It was great Glenn Beck had a panel of Pastor’s on his show talking about our beliefs, yet where are the real hard core steps of action to implement what we want to create beyond signing the “Manhattan Declaration“?  Though it’s important our voices must be heard, yet we must start building now as time is running out.

We must revive real principals into our lives versus telling people who to vote for as we rebuild our communities one city at a time.

Other articles on this subject include:

• Scr*!*ed Again! Unemployment Extension Fails: Senate Rejects Jobless Benefits… ARE YOU SERIOUS Huffingtonpost???

• U.S. prosperity on the neck of the entire world; At all costs

What do you think?  Let your voice be heard.

If not now, then when?

See you tomorrow with another video message.

William Michael
Democracy March
www.democracymarch.org