Raila Odinga - Who is he to the U.S.?

It has been reported, by non-US news outlets, that Barak Obama has a cousin in Kenya by the name of Raila Odinga. Regardless of the veracity of the genealogical linkage, there is a definite bond between the two, as they acknowledge publicly that they speak regularly.

The reason this is concerning, is due to the hard line that Odinga takes on his religion. Atheists, agnostics, liberals, and progressives fight against the use of the name of God in the Pledge, on our currency, and in the public forum while offering a hand of conciliation to Islam. Odinga expresses the views of other Muslim leaders when he states that other religions and non-religious people will be welcome in Kenya, if he is the President. However, they will only be accepted as second-class citizens, beholden to the Muslims for approval before doing anything. This website reports the following quote showing Odinga's stance on the matter.

“While freedom of worship will be upheld ... the Council of Islamic leaders shall be permitted to have an oversight role to monitor the activities of ALL other religions and any applications for religious activities and institutions will require their approval. They shall have the right to deny approval to cults and other evil practices.”

Article (v) a) of a Memorandum of Understanding,
signed in Kenya on 29th August 2007,
between Raila Odinga and the National Muslim Leaders Forum.

Don't think that only your freedom of religion will be abridged, if not completely rescinded, under a presidency that panders to Islam. According to this website 3 of Odinga's campaign promises are to implement Islamic Law as follows:

b) Within 6 months re-write the Constitution of Kenya to recognize Shariah as the only true law sanctioned by the Holy Quran for Muslim declared regions.

c) With immediate effect dismiss the Commissioner of Police who has allowed himself to be used by heathens and Zionists to oppress the Kenyan Muslim community.

g) Within one year facilitate the establishment of a Shariah court in every Kenyan divisional headquarters.

And, in direct comparison to Barak Obama, Raila Odinga claims he is a Christian; more specifically a "practicing Anglican". Further evidences of Obama's compassion towards a group that, more often than not, wants to rid the world of the freedoms that America has spread throughout the world wherever possible, you can look here.

From 'The Audacity Of Hope, "I will stand with the Muslims should the political winds shift in an ugly direction."

From The Audacity Of Hope, "We are no longer just a Christian nation," "We are also a Jewish nation, a Muslim nation, a Buddhist nation, a Hindu nation, and a nation of nonbelievers."

From Dreams of My Father, " I FOUND A SOLACE IN NURSING A PERVASIVE SENSE OF GRIEVANCE AND ANIMOSITY AGAINST MY MOTHER'S RACE".

From 'Dreams of my Father', "The emotion between the races could never be pure..... the other race would always remain just that: menacing, alien, and apart."

From 'Dreams of My Father',
"I ceased to advertise my mother's race at the age of 12 or 13, when I began to suspect that by doing so I was ingratiating myself to whites"

From Dreams Of My Father, "never emulate white men and brown men whose fates didn't speak to my own. It was into my father's image, the black man, son of Africa, that I'd packed all the attributes I sought in myself..".

From Dreams Of My Father:
"That hate hadn't gone away," he wrote, blaming "white people — some cruel, some ignorant, sometimes a single face, sometimes just a faceless image of a system claiming power over our lives."

From Dreams Of My Father;
"There were enough of us on campus to constitute a tribe, and when it came to hanging out many of us chose to function like a tribe, staying close together, traveling in packs," he wrote. "It remained necessary to prove which side you were on,to show your loyalty to the black masses, to strike out and name names"

I want a president that is unencumbered with ties to Islamists, as this group desires to dismantle the freedoms that have made America the greatest nation in the history of Earth. I want a president that does not have racial prejudices for or against people of any skin color or ethnic origin. I want a president who has the concerns of the nation at heart, above the desires of a particular minority group, a foreign nation, or even their personal aggrandizement.

Presidential Planning

Instead of prematurely planning their legacy, the candidates for President of the United States should be planning for 4 years of difficult work. What should really concern anyone who desires to be President, are the issues they must be willing to deal with in the next 4-8 years. Social issues inside the country continue to fester. The economy will not be friendly. Foreign nations like Russia, Iran, Venezuela, and Palestine will not be easy to confront. Other foreign nations will provide an opportunity for new friendships, if handled appropriately.

The country continues to struggle to define abortion, marriage, and what is acceptable in the public sector. Some people would allow abortion even beyond delivery while others would like to ban it outright. Some states have already passed amendments to disallow homosexual marriage where others would allow it. Some cities would choose to allow open sexual activity while most others would prosecute this as sexual deviancy. With increased mobility and the expanded public domain, by use of the internet, these issues will test the separation of powers between local, state, and federal government.

The economy will be the most pressing issue for the next President. We have seen the top 2 financial institutions in America take significant write-downs on earnings in the last few months. The largest sub-prime lender in America had to sell itself at a discount to avoid bankruptcy and dissolution. Thankfully, another financial company was willing to absorb their portfolio, instead of dropping a huge debt on the already over-taxed government. Wholesale prices have risen dramatically, which is no surprise since the price of oil has also been climbing. In addition to the increased cost to the transportation process, it also increases costs for power production. This comes at a time when there is already talk of energy shortages and forced conversion to less efficient 'green' energy.

We are making progress in the Middle East like we have not seen in centuries. This is due to American willingness to sacrifice in the short term to produce long-term gains in Afghanistan and Iraq. It is vital that we do not allow the price that has already been paid to be discounted or discarded. The next President to understand this, and to continue to advance the cause of freedom throughout the Middle East. The advancement of liberty is critical for reinforcing those in Iran who are already seeking these same freedoms but face overcoming oppressive traditions. America must also continue to show a strong and brave face, along with an open hand of conciliation, to countries that make aggressive overtures toward the United States. At the same time, there are opportunities for expanded peace and freedoms in regions of Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and South America. This will require diligent diplomacy.

This is a time where we can see clear challenges ahead. It is not a time for choosing your racehorse based on their colorings, gender, or adornment. The best bet is on the entrant with the proven track record and the stamina to complete the race.

Big Government

Government big enough to supply everything you need is big enough to take everything you have. The course of history shows that as a government grows, liberty decreases. -Thomas Jefferson

The quote contains truth that goes even deeper than the fears Jefferson lived with. His concern was for the populace that would give up their freedom in exchange for a soft, easy life. The most obvious victims of Big Government are the thousands of people who are living on funds that are doled out by the government. When the government cannot make its payments, there will be too few charitable outlets to provide for the people who have allowed their ability to sustain themselves to atrophy.

What we face today is a government that has a crumbling foundation, and is large enough to crush nearly every person in the United States and many outside of it. We must cut off the funds that are being siphoned off for ridiculous earmarks and non-vital programs. If the federal government is unable to remain solvent, it will not matter how much money you have in your investment accounts, how much gold you have on hand, your list of assets, or your deeds on properties. If the government cannot make payroll, there will be no police force to defend your liberties, no judges to adjudicate your property disputes, no fiscal or fire department to safeguard your assets, and no military to defend against radicals.

Whatever other considerations you give this election year, consider the financial situation we face today when selecting a candidate. It is well past time to make the sacrifices that will bring a little pain today, but may avoid the wall of pain that is at the doorstep if they continue to be ignored.

Tax Release or Tax Relief

Ron Paul and Mike Huckabee have been throwing around the idea of eliminating the IRS. While this sounds like a wonderful idea, it is a pandering lie that is misleading at best.

One easily noted reason that the IRS will not be disbanded is because it employs 115,000 people across the United States. Even if half of these people were given duties under an alternate system, it would still send over 50,000 Americans into the ranks of the unemployed. Not only will it have politicians haggling over negative job growth, it will put a large strain on the economy to have this many people dumped into the unemployment lines at one time. The money we save in IRS salaries will be absorbed by the additional benefits to be paid to the ex-employees.

The other point to consider is that Congress is the one who decides how taxes are collected and disbursed. Congress benefits greatly under the current system. Since World War II, the House and Senate have worked on increasing their salaries and perks, not on improving the tax system for the good of the citizenry.

A much more effective approach is to seek changes to the general budgetary and financing process. Sadly, it needs to be noted that every government program costs money. Thus, the more programs we can eliminate, the more tax burden we can avoid. The tax codes can be greatly simplified. It should not require an accountant to determine your reasonable share of the national tax.

Simply requiring accountability for every government program and reducing the complexity of the tax codes would allow the IRS to downsize through attrition and free up the money that is currently wasted on bureaucracy.