As 2006 comes to a close and I look forward toward 2007, I find myself turning to the hope that Barack Obama - rising star of the democratic party and possible presidential candidate in 2008 - professes in his mantra for change. Hope has been noticeably vacant since George Bush took office in 2000. George Bush uses fear and scare tactics to keep his war light burning. George Bush uses misleading statements like “we need to fight them (the terrorists) there so we do not fight them here”. To that President Bush adds that since his attack on Iraq we have not seen another 9/11. Maybe we have been lucky to have not seen another 9/11, but what kind of logic is that? Are our borders, railways, air terminals, and ports more secure? The general consensus says not! How many people have just walked across our border with Mexico and into what is soon to be the greatest sanctuary for illegal aliens ever in the history of the world? Tallies vary between 12 million and 20 million depending.

 

Highlights for 2006 should include: the war in Iraq got bloodier and costlier than the years before, Saddam Hussein was tried, found guilty, and sentenced to death by hanging, $10 Billion dollars from the Iraq war fund was discovered missing or merely vanished into thin air, Don Rumsfeld resigned amidst a very controversial year for President Bush, North Korea supposedly testing nuclear weapons, Iraq holding conventions with other world leaders against the United States positions on pre-emptive wars and each countries right to defend themselves as they see fit, republican leaders sweeping the Foley scandal under the carpet until it became a festering wound, scallywags like Ken Lay taking the easy way out dying instead of suffering the plight he dealt to his employees by stealing their hard earned pensions, and the democrats winning big in November’s midterm elections. Does that sound like a good year to you? It does not to me with the exception of the voices of the people from the November elections asking for change. And change for the better I hope we get! Looking ahead what will 2007 bring?

 

My personal hopes or wishes for 2007 are:

 

Here’s to a better 2007 than 2006!