Over the last two nights, Fox News Channel aired a pair of one hour documentaries one on Barack Obama and the other on John McCain. The shows were entitled, "Character & Conduct" and they looked at the life of each of the candidates. The goal with each program was to give perspective on where each of the men came from and how events in their lives led them to their current positions.
Both were very interesting.
Both shows also left me with many more questions.
I was very pleased to see that Fox News Channel kept up to their slogan of "Fair and Balanced" with these programs. If anything, they went out of their way to be more harsh than most other news organizations would have been.
I do not know if Fox is planning a replay of the shows, but I highly recommend them.
But still, the shows give you a taste of the personalities. I always recommend voting the issues, NOT personalities. Though, even I will admit, knowing the personalities can help get a better feel for the way the candidates have come to their positions on issues.
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ENERGY is the issue of the 2008 campaign season. Some want to argue this. Simply put, if you want to argue this, fine, but you are wrong.
Harsh?
No, and I will tell you why.
Energy drives the economy. Think the economy is the big issue, well since energy drives the economy, you are only partially right.
As for Iraq, Iran, Georgia, Russia....etc., what do you think makes ANY of those places significant? Energy!
Education? Funded through taxes. Tax collections go up when the economy is strong. What makes the economy strong? Several things, including energy costs. And if educators don't have to spend their money on energy, they can spend it in other areas.
So, again, ENERGY is the issue.
Now I went through all of this to explain what will be happening on the show over the next few weeks and months. I have made contact with the media relations department of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the premier national lab for energy research. I am hoping to do a series of interviews discussing the development of new energy technologies and improvements on existing technologies. Due to their status as a national lab, ORNL is decidedly non-partisan.
I will also check with Popular Mechanics and their writers and editors to further this discussion on energy.
Energy is an issue that has been ignored or neglected for way too long. Finally, the candidates have given it attention, but not enough. And WE THE PEOPLE need to make sure that it gets the focus it truly needs.
If oil man T. Boone Pickens can use his money to get them focused, then millions of other Americans can, if they choose to, get their voices heard on this issue.
But first, you have to realize that I am right. This IS THE issue of Campaign 2008.
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I don't trust them. And they have not let me down.
I am talking about the Russians. Both Medvedev and Putin have LIED to the world. They are NOT pulling out of Georgia, they are digging in.
What should be done? First, get the Russians out of Georgia without delay. Second, expedite Georgia's membership in NATO. Third, let Russia know that we will stand up to them. And by WE, I mean NATO.
Once again, Patton has been proven right.
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I have been a bit strong in how I have written things this morning. But I sometimes think that a sharpening of focus is needed. Too many people that I have talked with recently don't see the picture clearly. And that is not exactly their fault. I am engrossed in this STUFF everyday due to my job. So, I have to see it.
If I have offended you, know that this was not my intent. But if I also made you think about a few things, then I have hit what I intended.
In the next 76 days, you will need to make a decision. Who to vote for, or whether or not you are going to vote. I have made no secret of my belief that I want voters to be informed. If you are NOT informed, or you choose to be ignorant (yes, it is a choice), please stay home on November 4th. I mean that as sincerely as anything I have ever written.
I will not tell you what to think, but I will tell you what I feel you need to be thinking about. And, as always, I encourage you to debate me on these issues. That is why I have a comments section on this blog.
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Have a great Wednesday.
