By Mahmoud S. Audi, Ph.D.
Last night, Tuesday, June 10, 2008, when I returned home from my weekly social with SPS, I checked my telephone answering machine, and found that a McCain campaigner had left a message for me at about 8:30 P.M.; it is an invitation to attend a town-hall meeting at the Constitution Center, downtown Philadelphia. The invitation also says that I could bring my family and friends with me, besides I would be allowed to ask the Senator from Arizona any question, I might have. I felt the invitation came too late, but I immediately thought that it was an opportunity I shouldn't miss. I would have the chance to shake hands with a probable next president of the United States. I might also be able (not in a million) to ask the question that might influence the policy and modify the unjust standing of the United States in the Middle East. I went to bed with this thought on my mind.
When I woke up this morning, Wednesday (6-11-08), it was already 8:30 A.M. the town-hall meeting would start at 9:30 A.M. and therefore there is no way that I could make it to the hall. I need at least half an hour to take a shower and dress, and I need at least forty minutes to get there because of the multi-stops and traffic lights. So I decided to sit down and write the questions I would have tried to ask the candidate—the Republican presumptive nominee—any of them, if I would have the chance.
Question 1:
Do you believe that Islam is a religion, to which at least one quarter of the population of Earth adheres, worthy of respect as Christianity and Judaism?
Question 2:
Do you agree to work with the United Nations to define terrorist acts, terrorist individuals, terrorist organizations, and terrorist countries?
Question 3:
Would you accept the results of internationally observed and certified elections although you may not like them?
Question 4:
Do you believe that God loves all of his children equally, and all of us are the children of the same God?
Question 5:
Do you accept that the nuclear ambition of Iran is not the problem, but weakening Iran and balkanizing it is the goal? Do you also accept that Darfour was created to weaken and balkanize Sudan?
Question 6:
Do you know that there are human beings called the Palestinians? If your answer is positive, do you know that they have been living in misery--and recently collectively imprisioned by security walls surrounding their towns and villages-- because of our unjust policy toward Palestine and Israel?
Question 7:
Do you accept the fact that the United States is the greatest, country on Earth, economically, militarily, and morally, and we should demonstrate that to the world, by our behavior?
Question 8:
Do you know that you and I have one thing in common, other than being citizens of the same country, and other than our unparalleled love to this country?
Mr. John McCain, I am registered Independent, but I have a Medal of Merit from the late President Reagan and I was a member of the Task Force for his reelection. So on because of belonging to no party, but based on my discovery of the candidates and their stands on principles and issues, I do vote.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Sunday, June 1, 2008
The rules committee of the Democratic Party—Obama wins, Obama loses
By Mahmoud S. Audi, Ph.D.
I watched, on television, some during the day on Saturday, May 31, 2008, and the rest after midnight, most of the deliberations of the Rules and Bylaws committee of the Democratic Party. The issue was the resolution of the problem that was created by the Florida and Michigan Democrats when they decided to hold their primaries at times different from those the committee had assigned. The numerical results are already known and published in the newspapers, but what went on during the meeting was a demonstration that race matters.
The African-American supporters of Obama were passionate and poetic, when they questioned the supporters of Clinton. I could see their passions in the tones of their voices and the gestures of their hands and on their faces, and the near absence of civility in the words of some of them. Even the African-American supporters of Hillary were not passionate enough for her, because their real passions were with Obama. Some of the uncommitted super delegates are really committed; their passions gave their secret real status away; for possible political gains, they chose to claim they were uncommitted.
If I were an African-American I might have behaved in the same manner. It is their awareness of their history in the United States that made them who they are today. It is always there; their personal failures and triumphs, and their collective failures and triumphs are always there.
However, the members of the Rules and Bylaws Committee should have blinded theselves to the differences among them and behaved more, like fair arbitors, and behaved responsibly in their deliberation; they did not do that, and their bias was crystal clear. They are thirty bright and experienced individuals who ought to have worked for the common good of their party. But they failed. The supporters of Senator Hillary Clinton sounded more reasonable, more responsible and more respectful of their colleagues and of their witnesses. They were also passionate, but most of them did not show their feelings.
By the action of the committee, Obama won delegates who did not vote for him, because his supporters were louder, aggressive, and more passionate. However, he won votes, but he would lose the election; he will not become president.
If the Senator and his supporters had shown some magnanimity, he could have easily unified the party, and considerably advanced his chances to win the election in November 08. No one should have felt that the deliberations were unfair. This is what he should have done. He should have given all what Hillary’s camp had asked for. Had this happened, Obama would still have more committed delegates than her, but the uncommitted delegates would see in him the unifier they wanted, and would have given him their votes, and their support: a winning combination.
But now I believe that most of the uncommitted delegate would still commit to him, few will continue to fight. Political games will overwhelm the media and the count down will start and continue until McCain wins in November 08.
I watched, on television, some during the day on Saturday, May 31, 2008, and the rest after midnight, most of the deliberations of the Rules and Bylaws committee of the Democratic Party. The issue was the resolution of the problem that was created by the Florida and Michigan Democrats when they decided to hold their primaries at times different from those the committee had assigned. The numerical results are already known and published in the newspapers, but what went on during the meeting was a demonstration that race matters.
The African-American supporters of Obama were passionate and poetic, when they questioned the supporters of Clinton. I could see their passions in the tones of their voices and the gestures of their hands and on their faces, and the near absence of civility in the words of some of them. Even the African-American supporters of Hillary were not passionate enough for her, because their real passions were with Obama. Some of the uncommitted super delegates are really committed; their passions gave their secret real status away; for possible political gains, they chose to claim they were uncommitted.
If I were an African-American I might have behaved in the same manner. It is their awareness of their history in the United States that made them who they are today. It is always there; their personal failures and triumphs, and their collective failures and triumphs are always there.
However, the members of the Rules and Bylaws Committee should have blinded theselves to the differences among them and behaved more, like fair arbitors, and behaved responsibly in their deliberation; they did not do that, and their bias was crystal clear. They are thirty bright and experienced individuals who ought to have worked for the common good of their party. But they failed. The supporters of Senator Hillary Clinton sounded more reasonable, more responsible and more respectful of their colleagues and of their witnesses. They were also passionate, but most of them did not show their feelings.
By the action of the committee, Obama won delegates who did not vote for him, because his supporters were louder, aggressive, and more passionate. However, he won votes, but he would lose the election; he will not become president.
If the Senator and his supporters had shown some magnanimity, he could have easily unified the party, and considerably advanced his chances to win the election in November 08. No one should have felt that the deliberations were unfair. This is what he should have done. He should have given all what Hillary’s camp had asked for. Had this happened, Obama would still have more committed delegates than her, but the uncommitted delegates would see in him the unifier they wanted, and would have given him their votes, and their support: a winning combination.
But now I believe that most of the uncommitted delegate would still commit to him, few will continue to fight. Political games will overwhelm the media and the count down will start and continue until McCain wins in November 08.
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