Factors that cause your PC to slow to a Crawl and Even Worse
This article only applies to PCs that are running Windows XP or Vista.
I can’t count the number of times that PC users have wanted to throw their respective PCs into the trash, because the performance of their PCs had virtually slowed down to a crawl. In 85% of cases, a poorly performing PC is simply due to a lack of maintenance, much as one’s car requires periodic maintenance to maintain good performance. I will review the key factors that cause a PC to gradually lose its performance and stability. Allow me to first explain what Performance and Stability mean.
For the non-technical PC user, performance is the speed by which events happen on your PC. If you click on a program (i.e.: Microsoft Word) and it takes 15 seconds (rather than 3 to 4 seconds) for that program to appear, that’s poor performance. Signs of poor stability are such things as (i) your PC freezing up (keyboard and/or mouse do not respond) for no apparent reason, (ii) being directed to an alternate web site when you entered a specific web site that you wanted to go to, etc. I will now describe the key performance and stability factors.
1 – Unnecessary data on your PC’s Primary Hard Disk:
Every PC has a primary hard disk drive usually referred to as Local Disk “C”, which is located inside the PC and houses a variety of data such as its operating system (i.e.: Windows XP); various system files required by Windows as well as your personal files such as documents, spreadsheets, music files and so forth. Some computers have one or more secondary hard disks and some users have even added an external hard disk. However; regardless of how many secondary and/or external hard disks are associated to your PC, it’s still the primary hard disk drive (Local Disk “C”) that governs a PC’s performance and stability.
A PC’s primary hard disk can come in different sizes meaning that some hard disks can house more data than others; however, every hard disk has its absolute limit. One of the main culprits that slows your PC down happens when its primary hard disk starts to reach its bottleneck capacity, which is generally 75% of its total capacity. It’s analogous to using your basement as a storage area. As you keep piling items into your basement, there will come a time when you won’t be able to effectively move around in your basement anymore, thus leaving you with the choice of getting rid of some of the junk that’s been piling up for ages. Let’s look at some potential unnecessary junk that generally resides on most people’s PC’s.
Obsolete Application Programs:
If you are like the majority of PC Users, you probably have one or more computer programs that you hardly ever use and probably would be willing to get rid of these programs if by doing so, would make your PC run faster. The first thing that you must do is to make a list of computer programs that you can get rid of. The following is a list of guidelines that will assist you in determining whether or not a given computer program should be removed, which in PC lingo, is referred to as “Uninstalling” a program.
Obsolete or rarely used Programs:
These are programs that you may have used a couple of times; but haven’t used them in months or even years and wouldn’t cause you to lose any sleep if they were no longer on your PC. Just take a look at the programs that are installed on your PC and ask yourself the question: When was the last time that I used these programs? To view which programs are installed on your PC, click Start, then click Control Panel and finally click Add or Remove Programs.
Toolbars:
These are dozens of Toolbars on the market and in some cases, we don’t even know how they got onto our PCs in the first place. Bottom line! – While Toolbars are “cool” to have, they add additional overhead to Windows; thus, reducing its speed and even worse, some Toolbars actually infect your PC with Viruses. If you really want your PC to be faster and more stable, get rid of any and all Toolbars.
Gadget Programs:
This is where we are going to have to make a sacrifice. Gadget programs are just that – gadgets. They look nice; they amuse us once in a while; however, life will still go on if we don’t have them. Gadget programs include, but are not limited to, such things as Gxxgle Earth; Talking Calendars & Clocks and so forth. Again, it you are willing to compromise some speed, then keep one or two of your favorite gadgets.
Programs that have Similar Functions:
It’s not uncommon to find that you may have two or more programs that basically do the same thing. If you have two or more programs that are similar, choose one and uninstall the other(s). Examples of such programs include, but are not necessarily limited to:
More than one anti-virus program. Having more than one anti-virus program running at the same time will not give you better virus protection. In fact, multiple anti-virus programs could interfere with one another further slowing down you PC.
More than one multi Media Player. If, in addition to Windows Media Player, you have additional players such as RxxxPlayer and so on; you should be able to make do with Windows Media Player. Seriously consider uninstalling your other Media Player(s) unless your other Media Players can play audio or video files that Windows Media Player can’t handle. The reason that I suggest to try and make do with Windows Media Player is that it’s an integral part of Windows and cannot be uninstalled, whereas 3rd party Media players can be uninstalled.
Obsolete Data files:
Your personal data files are things such as PowerPoint presentations; Excel or Lotus spreadsheets; Word documents; Audio (Music) files; Video files; Picture (Photo) files and so on. In many cases, there are personal data files that you no longer use and as such, can be removed (deleted) from your PC’s local drive “C” or transferred to a secondary or external hard disk if your PC is so equipped.
Desktop Icons:
Desktop icons are very useful for accessing application programs and/or system functions that you use frequently. For example, if you frequently browse the Internet, having a browser icon such as the Internet Explorer icon on your Desktop is useful. Some PC users, however, bring desktop icons to a whole new level; their desktop screen is filled with icons from left-to-right as well as from top-to-bottom. Icons add to system overhead which in turn, contributes to a slower system. Keep 2 to 4 frequently used icons and delete the remaining icons. By deleting icons, you are not deleting the programs or functions that they represent. If, subsequently, you wish to use a program or system function whose icon(s) you deleted, you can simply access any program or system function by clicking on Start and then clicking on All Programs whereby all your programs and system functions are listed.
Computer generated logs, temporary files & junk files:
Computers generate & retain a wide variety of Log related information as well as temporary & junk files and in general, will never be used. As usual, this unnecessary information consumes valuable hard disk space capacity and should be removed.
This ends the 1st performance factor, namely, “Unnecessary data on your PC’s Primary Hard Disk”.
2 – Hard Disk Fragmentation:
There’s another hard disk condition called Disk Fragmentation that can also significantly degrade overall PC performance. When data is not stored on your PC’s hard disk in an organized sequence, it tends to become scattered throughout the hard disk in an unorganized fashion. Imagine how difficult and how time consuming it would be to try and find a person’s telephone number in a telephone book if people’s names were not sorted alphabetically. This situation, referred to as fragmented data, happens all the time and to alleviate this problem, you must take measures to periodically reorganize data (referred to as Defragmentation). A defragmented disk is analogous to having resequenced the telephone book in alphabetical order by name – a much faster method to access what you want.
3 – Your PC’s system Registry:
This is one of the most important components of your PC in so much as it keeps track of all resources (both Software & Hardware) that are associated with your PC. It’s analogous to a librarian’s master list of books in a library and if the librarian’s master list is not kept up to date and/or contains invalid references, it could cause chaos in trying to locate a specific book in that library.
As you use your PC over time, unbeknown to you, the Registry becomes progressively more inefficient and often times corrupted, primarily because various programs fail to update and/or delete unneeded registry entries. This leads to longer start-up times, slower performance and potential failure of different hardware components, software programs or even the Windows Operating system. Therefore; another measure that must be taken to improve the performance & stability of your PC is to clean your PC’s Registry on a regular basis. Just by virtue of having an optimized system registry, you will notice an increase in the performance and stability of your PC.
4 – System Memory:
A PC’s memory is its staging area. Let’s say that you want to call up Microsoft Word to create or update a document. Unbeknown to you, Windows gathers the Word program from the hard disk and places it into memory, which is much faster than executing a program directly from the hard disk. However, memory can eventually become sluggish which defeats the purpose of having memory in the first place. Two key conditions cause a PC’s memory to become sluggish better known as Unoptimized memory.
Some programs (when called upon to be used) grab too much memory, thus leaving less memory available for other programs that are running concurrently on your PC.
When a program has completed what it was supposed to do, it should remove itself from memory thus freeing up that portion of your PC’s memory; however, not all programs free up memory upon completion, thus tying up much needed memory unnecessarily.
Computer memory has to be cleared up (optimized) on a regular basis.
5 – Internet Performance:
Regardless of whether you are using Dialup; Cable or DSL to access the Internet, you may not be getting as much speed as you can. There are certain system settings that can be optimized that will improve your Internet speed. While you can’t change the diameter of a pipe; you can certainly increase the water pressure.
6 – Having the right Anti-Virus Program:
The term virus is misleading in so much as there are several categories of Internet threats that your PC must be protected against. Serious Internet threats fall into key categories such as: Viruses; Spyware and System Intrusion (hacking). If your PC becomes infected, a variety of nasty things can happen such as: (1) a noticeable slow down in your PC’s performance; (2) your PC becoming unstable such as freezing up; (3) hackers stealing your passwords, e-mail contacts and even worse.
Having the right Internet Security Suite (ISS) will significantly minimize the possibility of the above from happening; but equally as important, a good ISS will use less system resources than most of the previous generation anti-virus programs, resulting in faster system start-up’s and faster system performance.
Recap
Let’s review the key factors that cause a PC to lose its performance and stability:
1. Unnecessary data on your PC’s Primary Hard Disk
2. Hard disk fragmentation.
3. Unoptimized system registry.
4. Unoptimized system memory.
5. Poor Internet performance
6. Not having a 2nd generation Internet security suite.
There you have it – all the key factors, that if not maintained properly, can cause you to want to throw your PC into the trash.
Michael R. Palazzo
Who is the true God?
Overview
There are a growing number of people, primarily in North America and Western Europe, that postulate that regardless of which religion one may believe in, all religions should logically lead to the same road of eternal salvation, provided that each of their followers leads a moral and righteous life.
This is based on the premise that a just God could not have reserved a place in heaven for only those of one particular religion. However, this line of thinking is based on purely human logic which may or may not be congruent to the logic or the master plan of a God, who is the omnipotent, omniscient originator and ruler of the universe, and the principal object of faith and worship in monotheistic religions.
Key Religious Beliefs
For the sake of brevity, I have excluded minor Monotheistic religions; Polytheistic religions; Pantheistic doctrines; neither monotheistic nor polytheistic philosophies such as Buddhism; Atheism as well as Cults. I do, however, touch upon Religious Pluralism and Spirituality; albeit my main focus centers on the three major monotheistic religions, namely Christianity, Islam and Judaism, and the determination if their respective doctrines (Bible, Koran/Qur’an and Torah/Tanakh) address one and the same Deity.
Spirituality: Is a personal experience, as it focuses entirely upon the individual as well as the individual’s behavior, moral values and attitude towards others. It focuses on being helpful whenever the opportunity presents itself, and above all, listening to that inner voice to do the right thing. It also embraces being totally responsible for one’s own actions, that are often guided by a force that is greater than the individual. Unlike religion, the individual chooses what those actions are. In many respects, Spirituality mirrors the philosophy of Buddhism, which is a path of practice and spiritual development leading to insight into the true nature of life. Buddhist practices such as meditation, are means of changing oneself in order to develop the qualities of awareness, kindness, and wisdom. The experience developed within the Buddhist tradition over thousands of years, has created an incomparable resource for all those who wish to follow a path — a path which ultimately culminates in enlightenment.
Religious Pluralism: Is a view that all religions, certainly all major or ethical religions, are equally valid paths to God or to ultimate reality. For the pluralist, many religious roads lead to God and salvation. Yet, given the present cultural milieu of globalism, multiculturalism, relativism (in both truth and morality), and especially the postmodern spirit; the growing climate of religious pluralism poses a serious challenge to the integrity of each religion. Attempts to reduce a variety of religions to their lowest common denominator usually succeed in only distorting the religions. Homogenizing the religions is a costly price to pay to solve the problems of religious diversity; for in the end, the religions must sacrifice the very features that make them unique and appealing in the first place. While some rightly identify similar ethical values as a common motif, upon closer inspection, it becomes evident that even the similar moral principles are motivated by, and grounded in, fundamentally different views of the nature of reality. Religion cannot be reduced simply to ethics, as religion makes claims about the ultimate nature of reality (metaphysics), to which ethics appeal for justification.
Christianity: Is a monotheistic religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ as presented in the New Testament section of the Bible. Its followers, known as Christians, believe that Jesus is the only begotten son of God and the Messiah (Christ) prophesied in the Hebrew Bible (the part of scripture common to Christianity and Judaism). To Christians, Jesus Christ is a teacher, the model of a virtuous life, the revealer of God, as well as an incarnation of God, and most importantly, the savior of humanity who suffered, died, and was resurrected to bring about salvation from sin. Christians maintain that Jesus ascended into heaven, and most denominations teach that Jesus will return to judge the living and the dead, granting everlasting life to his followers. While Christianity is a monotheistic religion, a more precise classification is Trinitarian – Monotheistic. Trinity (refer to note below) refers to the teaching that the one God is a Supreme Being comprised of three distinct, and eternally co-existing persons; the Father (from whom the Son and Spirit proceed), the Son (incarnate in Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit. In the words of the Athanasian Creed, an early statement of Christian belief, “the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God, and yet there are not three Gods but one God”. They are distinct from another: the Father has no source; the Son is born of the substance of the Father and the Spirit proceeds from the Father. Though distinct, the three persons cannot be divided from one another in being or in operation. The Trinity is an essential doctrine of mainstream Christianity. “Father, Son and Holy Spirit” represents both the immanence and transcendence of God. God is believed to be infinite, and God’s presence may be perceived through the actions of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. According to this doctrine, God is not divided in the sense that each person has a third of the whole; rather, each person is considered to be fully God. The distinction lies in their relations; the Father being unbegotten; the Son being eternally begotten of the Father and the Holy Spirit proceeding from the Father.
Note: The Trinity is in contrast to Nontrinitarian positions which include, but are not limited to, the “oneness” belief held by certain Pentecostal groups as well as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ view of the “Godhead” as three separate beings who are one in purpose, rather than essence.
Islam: Is a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion originating with the teachings of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, a 7th century Arab religious and political figure. The word Islam means “submission”, or the total surrender of oneself to God (Arabic: Allāh). An adherent of Islam is known as a Muslim, meaning “one who submits to God”. The word Muslim is the participle of the same verb of which Islām is the infinitive. Muslims believe that God revealed the Koran (Qur’an) to Muhammad, God’s final prophet, through the angel Gabriel, and regard the Qur’an and the Sunnah (words and deeds of Muhammad) as the fundamental sources of Islam. They do not regard Muhammad as the founder of a new religion, but as the restorer of the original monotheistic faith of Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and other prophets. Islamic tradition holds that Jews and Christians distorted the revelations God gave to these prophets, by either altering the text, introducing a false interpretation, or both. Islam includes many religious practices. Adherents are generally required to observe the Five Pillars of Islam, which are five duties that unite Muslims into a community. In addition to the Five Pillars, Islamic law (sharia) has developed a tradition of rulings that touch on virtually all aspects of life and society. This tradition encompasses everything from practical matters like dietary laws and banking to warfare and welfare.
Judaism: Is a monotheistic religion originating from the codified religious practices of the ancient Israelites, based on principles and ethics embodied in the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh), as later further explored and explained in the Talmud and other texts. Judaism is among the oldest religious traditions still being practiced today, and it is the originator of the Abrahamic religions. As such, Jewish history and the principles and ethics of Judaism have influenced various other religions, including Christianity and Islam. Followers of Judaism are called Jews, and while Judaism is open to converts, the Jewish collective is regarded as an ethno-religious group, for reasons derived from the sacred texts that define them as a nation, rather than followers of a faith. In modern Judaism, central authority is not vested in any single person or body, but in sacred texts, religious law, and learned Rabbis who interpret those texts and laws. According to Jewish tradition, Judaism begins with the Covenant between God and Abraham (2000 BCE), the patriarch and progenitor of the Jewish nation. Throughout the ages, Judaism has adhered to a number of religious principles, the most important of which is the belief in a single, omniscient, omnipotent, benevolent, transcendent God, who created the universe and continues to govern it. According to Jewish tradition, the God who created the world established a covenant with the Israelites and their descendants, and revealed his laws and commandments to Moses on Mount Sinai in the form of both the Written and Oral Torah. Judaism has traditionally valued Torah study and the observance of the commandments recorded in the Torah, as expounded in the Talmud.
Do Christians, Muslims & Jews believe in the same God?
The doctrines of Christianity, Islam and Judaism all basically agree on the same definition of God. Each believes that God is a Supreme Being conceived as the perfect, omnipotent, omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the principal object of faith and worship. In addition, all three doctrines also believe that Moses was a prophet of their respective religions. Despite these commonalities, the question as to whether Christians, Jews & Muslims believe in the same God can, perhaps, be surmised by examining one key religious belief of each of the three religions.
Identity of God
Christianity:
“I believe in Jesus Christ, his (God the Father’s) only Son, our Lord; who was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.” The catechetical cycle which has been studied, makes constant reference to the truth expressed by the Apostle’s Creed quoted above. These words present Christ as the true God and Son of the “Father”, and at the same time, as true man, son of the Virgin Mary.
Source: The Vatican
Islam:
Allah is the Arabic form of the word “The One True God”. Muslims believe that Allah is the one and only God without partners, and that the name “Allah” is unique to the sole Creator of this World and everything in it.
Source: Reading Islam
Judaism:
God is one – the idea of God as a duality or trinity is heretical for Jews to hold; it is considered akin to polytheism. Interestingly, while Jews hold that such conceptions of God are incorrect, they generally are of the opinion that gentiles that hold such beliefs are not held culpable.
Source: Basic Judaism
Epilogue
Simply from a logical perspective, it would appear that Christianity, Islam and Judaism have one major diverging doctrine with respect to who God is.
1. Christians believe that the “Holy Trinity” is a key doctrine that presents Christ as the true God.
2. Muslims believe that Allah is the one and only God without partners.
3. Jews believe that the idea of God as a duality or trinity is heretical.
Logically, the above statements separate Christianity from both Islam and Judaism.
Let us examine if there is a separating factor between the beliefs of Islam and Judaism.
The real difference between the two religions lies in their basis for belief. Judaism is based on the unique historical event of a divine revelation experienced by the entire nation; whereas Islam is based on the prophetic claims of a single individual who subsequently convinced others to follow his ways.
Source: Judaism and Islam
My article, in no way, is meant to favor or disfavor any person’s religious belief and if such exception has been taken, I sincerely apologize that my article has not been taken for what it was meant to be – a simple review of how Christianity, Islam and Judaism view God.
Michael R. Palazzo
11:11
Superstitious I am not. I sometimes purposely walk under ladders; can’t be bothered if a black cat crosses my path and don’t even give it a thought if I’m walking through a grave yard alone at night. But, there is one phenomenon that I’m lost for words to explain.
11:11
It started out of the clear blue about 10 years ago at the age of 49. For no conscious reason what so ever, I was always seeing 11:11 displayed on my clocks, my watch; my micro-wave – just about everything that I happened to glance at. Initially, I simply passed it off as coincidental, but, when it continued to occur, I was, at the very least, curious.
I googled “11:11” and with no surprise, there were literally dozens of stories and explanations from other people that had gone through the same experience; however, none of the Internet explanations struck me as being viable. One evening while I was having dinner with Shawn, who is a long time friend and psychologist, I raised the topic of my “11:11” conundrum, and Shawn simply told me that events linked to time, such as 11:11 or 12:12, appear more often than chance or coincidence. He further added that it’s related to the concept of synchronicity. Not wanting to look stupid, I thanked him for the explanation and got on to another topic. When I arrived back at my house, I immediately looked up “synchronicity” in the dictionary which stated:
Synchronicity is the experience of two or more events which are causally unrelated occurring together in a supposedly meaningful manner. In order to count as synchronicity, the events should be unlikely to occur together by chance. The concept does not question, or compete with, the notion of causality. Instead, it maintains that just as events may be grouped by cause, they may also be grouped by their meaning. Since meaning is a complex mental construction, subject to conscious and subconscious influence, not every correlation in the grouping of events by meaning needs to have an explanation in terms of cause and effect.
This description honestly caused me to lie down on my bed and laugh uncontrollably for a good five minutes until my sides were hurting. I said to myself: Mike; you’re either dumber than you thought you were or Shawn was trying to pull a fast one on you. I even rationalized that had it been the number 12:12 that I suddenly started to see everywhere, I at least had one possible explanation which goes something like this: When there’s been a power failure while one has been away from one’s home and then return back, most digital clocks, micro-wave ovens, etc. will be flashing 12:12 which perhaps, becomes subliminally embedded in one’s mind. But that doesn’t explain why I see 11:11, nor does it explain why this phenomenon doesn’t affect 99.999% of mankind. If anyone reading this blog can provide a credible answer as to what this phenomenon really means and why it’s still happening to me as well as a handful of other people, would you be so kind as to email your answer to me at:
Michael R. Palazzo
I wish to thank Bing Haley who presents an explaination for the 11:11 phenomenom. Feel free to visit his blog article at: http://1111-bing.blogspot.com/
Rock & Roll of the 50′s
This article is all about the 50’s style of Rock & Roll music and its roots. If you come across a sentence or phrase that appears to be demeaning towards other music genres of the 50’s, don’t take it offensively, as it’s not meant to be offensive. I enjoy a wide variety of music genres.
A look at life in mainstream USA during the early 1950’s:
To understand the roots of Rock & Roll and ascertain who its founder was, we must turn the clock back to the early 50’s in mainstream USA and review the culture that existed at that time. Even then, we may have to travel further back in time to establish how the Rock & Roll of the 50’s was truly born.
During the early 1950’s in the United States, manufacturing and home construction was on the rise as the American economy was on the upswing. The Korean War and the beginning of the Cold War created a politically conservative climate. The Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States played out through the entire decade. Fear of Communism caused public Congressional hearings by both houses in Congress and Anti-Communism was the prevailing sentiment in the United States throughout the decade. Conformity and conservatism characterized the social mores of the time. The 1950’s in the developed western world are generally considered both socially conservative and highly materialistic in nature. The beginning of decolonization in Africa and Asia occurred in this decade and accelerated in the following decade of the 1960’s. The Library of Congress had dubbed the 1950’s as the decade with the least musical innovation.
It is this author’s opinion that the Library of Congress’ statement couldn’t have been further from the truth. Let’s look at what the Library of Congress really is.
The Library’s primary mission is researching inquiries made by members of Congress through the Congressional Research Service. Although it is open to the public, only legislators, Supreme Court justices and other high-ranking government officials may check out its books. Through the United States Copyright Office, the Library of Congress also receives copies of every book, pamphlet, map, print, and piece of music registered in the United States.
Pretty impressive if you’re a politician. But were bureaucrats of a Government Library truly bona fide authorities on music and in particular, Rock & Roll? I would wager a guess that the Library’s bureaucrats were like so many of their mainstream middle-aged contemporaries during the 50’s that believed that Rock & Roll was the cause of the nation’s social ills. Let’s prove that the Library of Congress should remain librarians and should not have made any statements about something that they know very little about and/or were biased towards. Let us now take a look at the popular musical culture of the 1950’s up until about 1956.
Popular music in the early 1950s featured vocalists like Frank Sinatra, Frankie Laine, Patti Page, Hank Williams, Johnnie Ray, Kay Starr, Perry Como, Bing Crosby, Rosemary Clooney, Georgia Gibbs, Eddie Fisher, Teresa Brewer, Dinah Shore, Guy Mitchell, Nat King Cole, and vocal groups like the Four Lads, the Four Aces, the Platters, the Chordettes and the Ames Brothers. While these artists were great in their own right, they basically sang the same crooning or traditional country style of music as did their mainstream contemporaries of decades past. But remember; so far we’re just looking at mainstream America. If you were a teenager during that period and enjoyed mainstream music; then life, from a music perspective, was great. However, if you were a mainstream white teenager that was looking for music with a beat, something that you could really dance to with your soul, you would have to wait a bit longer unless, of course, you had tapped into the underground music scene. But tapping into the underground music scene was not that easy given that mainstream radio and television of the early 50’s were only airing bland mainstream music.
To have tapped into the underground music scene, you would had to have lived, or have visited, certain specific regions of America or have had a means of tapping into underground AM radio broadcasts. I will bring you on a journey that will describe that Rock & Roll had already been born and was alive & kicking long before it became mainstream music later on during the latter part of the 50’s.
The Rock & Roll Journey:
1. Southern USA:
This is where Rock & Roll of the later 1950’s (1955 to 1959) would first gain its roots.
The immediate origins of Rock & Roll lie in the late 1940s and early 1950s, when various popular musical genres of the time, including blues, country music, rhythm and blues and gospel music, combined to give rise to a new style of music.
Traces of Rock & Roll could be heard in many “hillbilly” and “race music” records and local AM radio broadcasts of the 1920’s and 1930’s. This music was often relegated to “race music” outlets (as rhythm and blues radio stations were referred to at the time) and was rarely heard by mainstream white audiences. This statement in no way suggests that black people were not a part of mainstream USA; it simply means that most black Americans were already aware of the new style of music being recorded and played in certain local night clubs as well as being aired on certain local radio stations.
While temporarily changing the topic for a moment, it is a well known fact that at night, AM radio station waves can travel significantly further than they do during the day time. AM radio waves, are generally transmitted omni-directionally which includes being transmitted towards outer space. However, the earth’s ionosphere causes certain waves, such as short waves, to be bounced back towards the earth. Short wave radios relied on bounced signals to tune in signals from virtually any country in the world. Relatively speaking, AM radio waves are significantly shorter than FM radio or television waves and as such, can be bounced back towards the earth reaching locations that are hundreds and even thousands of miles from where they were actually transmitted. During the day time, the sun interferes with this “bouncing” effect while at night, AM radio waves do bounce back towards the earth. What is my point? My point is that underground AM radio signals could be heard across America, which is contrary to the opinion that rhythm and blues radio stations were rarely heard by mainstream white audiences. This is not to say that mainstream white audiences, as a whole, actually tuned in; but for those who did, they were glad that they did so.
In any event, this new style of music was indeed heard by both black and white America and would soon have a profound effect on several musicians; of which, I only have only enough space in this article to name but a few.
2. Issaquena County, Mississippi:
McKinley Morganfield, better known as Muddy Waters, was an Afro-American blues musician and is generally considered “the Father of Chicago blues”. He is also the actual father of blues musicians Big Bill Morganfield and Larry “Mud Morganfield” Williams. Although Waters was a “blues” musician, his pulsating style of blues was more upbeat than that of his blues contemporaries at the time. As early as 1948, Waters composed and played songs such as “I Can’t Be Satisfied” and “I Feel Like Going Home” which paved the way for his popularity in local clubs. Remember; this was 1948. Waters was a major inspiration for the British beat explosion in the 1960s, and also inspired our next player from Cleveland, Ohio. As a side note, many fans of the “Rolling Stones” believe that their smash 60’s hit entitled “I can’t get no satisfaction” was inspired by Water’s composition of “I Can’t Be Satisfied”.
3. Cleveland, Ohio:
In 1951, Cleveland, Ohio disc jockey, Alan Freed, began playing rhythm and blues and country music for a multi-racial audience. Freed is credited with first using the phrase “Rock & Roll” to describe the music he played; however, the term had already been introduced in the lyrics of many rhythm and blues records. The important point is that vestiges of an emerging new music were starting to grow, at least on a local basis.
There is much debate as to what song was considered the first Rock & Roll record. One leading contender is “Rocket 88″ by Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats (which was, in fact, Ike Turner and his band, the Kings of Rhythm, recording under a different name), that was recorded by Sam Phillips for Sun Records in 1951. Four years later, Bill Haley’s “Rock Around the Clock” became the first authentic Rock & Roll song to top Billboard magazine’s main sales and airplay charts, opening the door for this new style of popular music culture.
In all fairness to Bill Haley, he did actually record the first Rock & Roll song; however, “Rock Around the Clock” did not garner much attention in the US when it was first released and would only become a ‘Rock’ classic after other Rock & Roll artists had emerged. Ironically, Haley and his song were embraced by the British and although Haley had recorded the first 50’s Rock & Roll song, Rock & Roll was still not a household word in the US.
Our next two players are both credited with having commercialized 50’s Rock & Roll, and there is no clear-cut winner except in the eyes of their respective fans which is an abbreviation of “fanatics”.
4. St. Louis, Missouri:
Chuck Berry was one of the pioneers of Rock & Roll music. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s website, “While no individual can be said to have invented rock and roll, Chuck Berry comes the closest of any single figure to being the one who put all the essential pieces together. Cub Koda wrote, “Of all the early breakthrough rock & roll artists, none is more important to the development of the music than Chuck Berry. He is its greatest songwriter, the main shaper of its instrumental voice, one of its greatest guitarists, and one of its greatest performers. John Lennon was more succinct: “If you tried to give rock and roll another name, you might call it ‘Chuck Berry’.
By early 1953, Berry was performing with the Johnnie Johnson Trio, a band that played at a popular club called the Cosmopolitan, in East St. Louis, Illinois and whose namesake would become Berry’s long-time collaborator. Although the band played mostly blues and ballads, the most popular music among whites in the area was country (typically referred to as ‘hillbilly’ at the time). Berry wrote, “Curiosity provoked me to lay a lot of our country stuff on our predominantly black audiences and some of our black audiences began whispering ‘who is that black hillbilly at the Cosmo?’ After they laughed at me a few times, they began requesting the hillbilly stuff and enjoyed dancing to it. Berry’s calculated showmanship and slick guitar playing & lyrics with a unique beat, began luring larger white audiences to the club. Although there was no specific tag attached to Berry’s music, it was the beginning of Rock & Roll. But mainstream America would still have to wait a few more years before they could listen and dance to the beat of Chuck Berry’s Rock & Roll.
5. Tupelo, Mississippi:
In 1954, Elvis Presley, began his career as one of the first performers of rockabilly, an up-tempo fusion of country and rhythm and blues with a strong back beat. His novel versions of existing songs, mixing “black” and “white” sounds, made him both popular and controversial.
Presley’s initial influences originated from his family’s attendance at the church of the Assembly of God. Presley himself stated: “Since I was two years old, all I knew was gospel music. That music became such a part of my life, that it was as natural as dancing. A way to escape from the problems. And my way of release”. Throughout his life, whether in a recording studio; in private, or after concerts, Presley joined with others who were singing and playing gospel music at informal sessions. The legendary Southern Gospel singer Jake Hess, was Presley’s favorite singer and was the greatest influence on his singing style.
“That’s All Right” was aired on July 8, 1954, by disc jockey Dewey Phillips on WHBQ-AM in Memphis. Listeners to the show began phoning in, eager to find out who the singer was. (Phillips had mispronounced Presley’s apparently unusual name as “Elton Preston”). The interest was such that Phillips played the demo fourteen times. During an interview on the show, Phillips asked Presley what high school he attended so as to clarify Presley’s color for listeners who assumed that he must have been black. While this assumption had a racial overtone, it also demonstrated that white southerners liked Presley’s music; albeit, they thought that he was black. The first release of Presley’s music featured “That’s All Right” and “Blue Moon of Kentucky”. With Presley’s version of Bill Monroe’s song consistently being rated higher, both sides of Presley’s “45” vinyl record began to chart across the South. But by 1954, Rock & Roll had still not yet become mainstream music.
Is this the way my article ends?
Heavens no! I will do my best to list the musical achievements of both Chuck Berry and Elvis Presley side by side, which perhaps, may shed some light to break the tie between both Rock & Roll icons.
1. Date that both artists became known by local audiences.
Chuck Berry (1953) and Elvis Presley (1954).
2. Date that both artists released a nation-wide 50’s Rock & Roll song.
Chuck Berry released “Maybellene” in 1955 and Elvis Presley released “Heartbreak Hotel” in January of 1956.
3. Date that both artists appeared on national television.
While Elvis Presley appeared on the Dorsey Brothers Stage show on January 26th, 1956, his big break came when he appeared on the Ed Sullivan show on September, 9th, 1956.
While I could not find any reference as to when Chuck Berry first appeared on national television, his first release “Maybellene”, hit number 5 on Billboard’s Rock & Roll singles chart in September of 1955, a good five months before Elvis Presley appeared on the Ed Sullivan show.
As you can see, it’s really too close to call. While Elvis became an overnight sensation by having appeared on the Ed Sullivan show in September 1956, Chuck Berry already had a “million seller” hit on his hands before Elvis had appeared on the Ed Sullivan show. There is, however, one other measure of gauging both artists’ legacies.
According to several “Rock” musicians, there have been more “Rock” artists and bands that have been influenced by Berry’s style of Rock & Roll music that that of Elvis’, and in addition, have pegged Chuck Berry as a musician’s musician. On the other hand, Elvis was more versatile in so much as he furthered his career by starring in dozens of movies and in addition, Elvis has been pegged by women as a woman’s man.
Epilogue:
In the end, it doesn’t really matter which of the two icons was the official father of 50’s Rock & Roll. Both men made their respective marks that will live on forever in the hearts of enthusiasts. I think that it’s fair to say that the 50’s style of Rock & Roll became mainstream, sometime between September of 1955 and September of 1956.
In addition, and contrary to what the Library of Congress had stated about a lack of musical innovation in the 50’s, it was the 1950’s that gave birth to Rock & Roll. Whether one likes Rock & Roll or not, one cannot deny that it was a dramatic departure from the crooning style of music from decades past. And the beauty and uniqueness of Rock & Roll lies in its main roots which oddly enough, was a “bringing together” of several genres of music; most notably, Gospel and Country.
Furthermore; Rock & Roll was not just a passing fancy, but continued to evolve into several different subgenres such as Folk rock and Jazz-rock fusion. In the 1960’s, how can we forget the “British invasion” whose artists, and most notably, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, emulated the music of Afro-American artists such as Berry and Waters.
In the 1970′s, Rock & Roll incorporated influences from Soul, Funk, and Latino music. Also in the 1970′s, rock had developed a number of new subgenres, such as Soft rock, Glam rock, Heavy metal, Hard rock, Progressive rock, and Punk rock. Rock subgenres that emerged in the 1980′s included New Wave, Hardcore punk and Alternative rock. In the 1990s, rock subgenres included Grunge, Britpop, Indie rock, Nu metal and even Christian rock. But in my heart, I will always have a tender spot for the Rock & roll of the 50’s; for that was the period that I grew up in, and one does not tend to forget the pleasant aspects of one’s youth. I also enjoy other styles of music as well; however, this article is about Rock & Roll.
Just before I end this article, I would like to mention that it’s not entirely accurate to simply assume that all 50’s Rock & Roll music was exactly the same. Even in the short span between 1955 and 1959, 50’s Rock & Roll music had already developed distinctive subgenres. It couldn’t be any other way, given that 50’s Rock & Roll had two very different parents namely, Gospel and Country (more specifically ‘hillbilly’). I will list the four main subgenres as well as an artist & corresponding song from each subgenre.
Pure Rock & Roll: Chuck Berry – 1956 (Roll Over Beethoven).
Rockabilly: Elvis Presley – 1957 (I’m all shook up).
Doo Wop Rock: The Monotones – 1958 (Who wrote the Book of Love).
Teen Rock: Ricky Nelson – 1958 (Poor Little Fool).
________________________________________
Hear & see Chuck Berry peforming Johnny B. Goode
Hear & see Elvis Presley perfprming I’m all shook up
Hear & see The Monotones pefrporming: Who Wrote The Book Of Love
Hear & see Ricky Nelson pefrporming: Poor Little Fool
Michael R. Palazzo
Bilderberg Group Exposed
Overview
The Bilderberg Group Exposed is a chilling non-fictitious story about an elite group of people who, since 1954, have been changing the global political arena. This story is not about a conspiracy theory; it’s about a conspiracy fact. This story exposes what this elite group is; who their core members are; who they invite to their annual meetings; their goals; their achievements to date as well as their overall objectives.
Information Sources
At strategic points throughout this article, I highlight my sources in the form of a hyperlink providing you with a direct link to a given source as well as the information obtained from that source. In other cases, I make references to books and corresponding authors.
If I am quoting a person’s remarks, these remarks will be enclosed in “quotation” marks. If I am paraphrasing a person’s remarks, these remarks will appear in italics. If I wish to highlight a certain point or phrase, I highlight the point or phrase using dark font.
Globalism
Globalization is a widely used term that can be defined in a number of different ways. When used in an economic context, it refers to the reduction and removal of barriers between national borders in order to facilitate the flow of goods, capital, services and labor.
Globalization is not a new phenomenon. It began in the late nineteenth century; but its spread slowed during the period from the start of the First World War until the third quarter of the twentieth century. This slowdown can be attributed to the inward looking policies pursued by a number of countries in order to protect their respective industries. However; the pace of globalization picked up rapidly during the fourth quarter of the twentieth century and the European Union (EU) is a realistic example of a regional form of globalism.
The EU is an economic and political union of 27 European member States. It was established by the Treaty of Maastricht on November 1st, 1993, upon the foundations of the pre-existing European Economic Community. With almost 500 million citizens, the EU member states combined, generate an estimated 30% share (US$16.8 trillion in 2007) of the nominal gross world product.
The EU has developed a single market through a standardized system of laws which apply in all member states, guaranteeing the freedom of movement of people, goods, services and capital. It maintains common policies on trade, agriculture, fisheries, and regional development. Sixteen member states have adopted a common currency, the Euro. It has developed a role in foreign policy, representing its members in the World Trade Organization at G8 summits as well as the United Nations. Twenty-one EU countries are also members of NATO. The EU has developed a role in justice and home affairs, including the abolition of passport controls between many member states which form part of the Schengen Area, which also incorporates some associated European non-EU countries.
The EU operates through a complex hybrid system of intergovernmentalism and supranationalism. In certain areas, it depends upon agreement between the member states. However; it also has supranational bodies, able to make decisions without unanimity between all national governments. Important institutions and bodies of the EU include the European Commission, the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union, the European Council, the European Court of Justice and the European Central Bank. EU citizens elect the Parliament every five years. The EU traces its origins to the European Coal and Steel Community formed among six countries in 1951 and the Treaty of Rome in 1957. Since then the union has grown in size through the accession of new countries, and in addition, new policy areas have been added to the remit of the EU’s institutions.
Apart from language, religion and culture, twenty-seven former sovereign countries are now virtually one homogeneous entity. Even though these twenty-seven countries still retain their respective Governments, their power is somewhat limited in so much as the real governance of the European Union is primarily the EU Commission (EUC) based in Brussels, Belgium. Many people believe that a regional globalism such as the EU, is a precursor to a world-wide globalism, commonly referred to as a New World Order.
New World Order (NWO)
In international relations theory, the term “New World Order” refers to a new period of history, evidencing a dramatic paradigm shift in world political thought and the balance of power that could be interpreted as the advent of a cryptoclastic or totalitarian World Government.
At the core of most theories, a powerful and secretive group of globalists is conspiring to eventually rule the World through an autonomous World Government, which would replace sovereign states and other checks and balances in international power struggles. Significant occurrences in politics and business are speculated to be caused by an extremely influential cabal, operating through many front organizations. Numerous historical and current events are seen as steps in an on-going plot to achieve World domination primarily through secret political gatherings and decision-making processes. Social critics have expressed concern that the synthesis of paranoid theories about a New World Order conspiracy, which was once limited to American far-right audiences, has given them mass appeal and enabled them to become commonplace in mass media, thereby inaugurating an unrivaled popular conspiracist culture in the US of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Some warn that this development may have negative effects on American political life, such as producerist demagogy and moral panic influencing elections as well as domestic and foreign policy.
While we may read or hear that there are covert groups that have already started to gradually take over the World, we are either impervious; don’t believe it or don’t have the political will to confront it. Allow me to present one such group.
Bilderberg Group Overview
The Bilderberg Group was formed in 1954, primarily by the powerful banking families of the Rothschilds and the Rockefellers, along with royal Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands who had strong ties with the Nazi regime. The group meets annually with approximately 130 guests consisting of Europe’s and America’s most wealthy and noble elites from politics, royalty, business, banking, education, media and the military. The overall goal of the group is to bring about a One World Government and global financial system under the political body of a UN style Government controlled by the central banking systems of the Rockefellers and Rothschilds. They are also advocates of aspects of modern eugenics and have plans to eventually reduce the world‘s population by 80%, as called for by the 1974 UN Assessment on Biodiversity. In his own words, on multiple occasions, Prince Philip of England has expressed his desire to ‘cull’ the surplus population. “In the event that I am reincarnated, I would like to return as a deadly virus in order to contribute something to solve overpopulation”. See who else is in agreement with the use of eugenics by clicking on: Eugenics and Depopulation Plans
Bilderberg Key Objectives
Zero-Growth Society. In a post-industrial period, zero growth will be necessary to destroy vestiges of general prosperity. When there is prosperity, there is progress. Prosperity and progress make it impossible to implement repression, and you need repression if you hope to divide society into owners and slaves. The end of prosperity will bring an end to virtually all industrialization except for the computer and service industries. The remaining Canadian and American industries would be exported to poorer countries such as Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, and Nicaragua, where slave labor is cheap. One of the principal objectives of NAFTA will then have been realized.
One International Identity. By empowering International bodies to completely destroy all national identity through subversion from within, they intend to establish one set of universal values. No others will be allowed to flourish in the New World Order society.
Centralized Control of the People. By means of mind control, they plan to direct all humanity to obey their wishes. The blueprint of this plan is chillingly described in Zbigniew Brzezinski’s book, Between Two Ages: America’s Role in the Technetronic Era (details). He is also an associate of Henry Kissinger and well known for his presentations at several Bilderberg Conferences. He foresees, under the New World Order, no middle class; only rulers and servants.
State of Perpetual Imbalance. Will be artificially achieved by manufacturing crises that will put people under continual duress – physically, mentally, financially and emotionally. Too tired and strung-out to decide their own destinies, populations will be confused and demoralized to the extent that, “faced with too many choices”, apathy on a massive scale will result.
Western Trading Bloc. By expanding NAFTA throughout the Western Hemisphere into Mexico, the US and Canada, a “North American Union” will eventually form and be modeled after the European Union.
One Legal & Enforcement System. The International Court of Justice will become the sole legal system for the World. In addition, as the UN intervenes in more trouble-spots globally (as is the current case in Afghanistan), NATO will increasingly become the UN’s World army.
Centralized Control of All Education. One of the reasons for the European Union, the North American Union and the future Asian Union, is to collectively seek greater control of education in general, so as to allow “One World” globalists to sterilize the World’s true past. They contend that today’s youth is almost completely ignorant of the lessons of history, individual liberties and the meaning of freedom and that this ignorance will only simplify their program.
Bilderberg Achievements
Have conceived and established the European Union as the centerpiece of their global Government plan as well as having established the Euro as the Union’s common and only legal currency.
Bilderberg senior member David Rockefeller, founded the Trilateral Commission in 1973 to foster closer cooperation among core democratic industrialized areas of the world (the European Union; the US; Canada and Japan) with shared leadership responsibilities in the wider International system. Journalist Bill Moyers (PBS) spoke about the power of David Rockefeller in a television documentary, “The Secret Government” in 1980 Details
Have established influential US contacts in virtually all Government, military, academic and business arenas. During the group’s 1991 conference in Germany, a young Bill Clinton met with David Rockefeller who told Clinton why NAFTA was a Bilderberg priority and that the group needed him to support it. The next year, Clinton was elected President and became a strong proponent of NAFTA as was previous US President George H. W. Bush.
Under the previous George W Bush administration, they had already started to advance their goal of a “North American Union”. Globalization has already changed the US economic and political landscape through treaties such as NAFTA and the proposed Security and Prosperity Partnership program (SPP).
Again, under the same Bush administration, the US Patriot Act is a statute that was signed into law on October 26th, 2001. It has been criticized by many for weakening protections of civil liberties, as well as being overbroad in regard to its circumstances of application. In particular, opponents of the law have criticized its authorization of indefinite detentions of immigrants; searches through which law enforcement officers search a home or business without the owner’s or the occupant’s permission or knowledge; the expanded use of National Security Letters, which allows the FBI to search telephone, email and financial records without a court order; and the expanded access of law enforcement agencies to business records, including library and financial records. Since its passage, several legal challenges have been brought against the act, and Federal courts have ruled that a number of provisions are unconstitutional.
Bilderberg Organizational Structure
The Bilderberg Group’s inner circle is comprised of a Chairman; a Steering Committee and an Advisory Group. I was fortunate in being able to obtain the names of the group’s inner circle as of 1994 which were sourced from: The Invisible Power House, by author Armen Victorian. The invited guests list, however, is more current in that it covers years 2000 to 2007 inclusive and was sourced from Bilderberg.org
Chairman:
Davignon, Etienne Vice President of Société Générale de Belgique
Steering Committee:
Peter, Lord Carrington – Former Secretary-General NATO.
Victor Halberstadt – Secretary-General for Europe and Canada.
Theodore L. Elliot, Jr. – Former US Ambassador.
Pieter Korteweg – President & CEO, Robeco Group.
Peter Jankowitsch – Former Foreign Minister – Austria
Jaakko Iloniemi – Former Finnish Ambassador to the US.
Marc Lardreit de Lacharrère – Chairman-Fimalac (France)
Christoph Bertram – Diplomatic Correspondent, Die Zeit.
Hilmar Kopper – Managing Directors, Deutsche Bank AG.
Peter D. Sutherland – Chairman, Allied Irish Bank plc.
Mario Monti – Professor of Economics, Bocconi University, Italy.
Renato Ruggiero – Member of the Board, Fiat SpA.
Westye Hoegh – Ship Owner, Leif Hoegh & Co AS. (Norway)
Francisco Pinto Balsemao – Former Prime Minister of Portugal.
Jaime Carvajal Urquijo – Chairman and GM, Iberfomento. (Spain)
Percy Barnevik – President and CEO, ABB Asea Brown Boveri Ltd.
David de Pury – Chairman, BBC Brown Boveri Ltd. (Switzerland)
Selahattin Beyazit – Director of Companies. (Turkey)
Andrew Knight – Executive Chairman, News International plc.
Kenneth W. Dam – Former Deputy Secretary of State. (US)
Vernon E. Jordan, Jr. – Former President, National Urban League.
Henry A. Kissinger – Former Secretary of State. (US)
Charles McC. Mathias – Former Senator, State of Maryland.
Rozanne C. Whitehead – Former Deputy Secretary of State. (US)
Lynn R. Williams – Int. President, United Steel- Workers of America.
Cassimir A. Yost – Dir., Foundation’s Center for Asian-Pacific Affairs.
James D. Wolfensohn – President, World Bank, (Int/US)
Members of the Advisory Group:
Anthony G. S. Griffin – Director of Companies. (Canada)
Otto Wolff von Amerongen – CEO, Otto Wolff Industrieberatung
Max Kohnstamm – Former President, European University Institute.
Giovanni Agnelli – Chairman, Fiat SpA..
Ernst H. van der Beugel – Professor, Leiden University.
Lord Roll of Ipsden – President, S. G. Warburg Group plc. (UK)
George W. Ball – Former Under-Secretary of State. (US)
William P. Bundy – Former Editor, Foreign Affairs. (US)
David Rockefeller – Chairman, Chase Manhattan Bank Int.
Bilderberg Annual Conferences
Members and invited guests of the Bilderberg group have met at annual meetings since 1954, and the following is a partial list of such conferences from 2000 to 2007 inclusive.
2000 Chateau Du Lac Hotel in Geneva, Brussels, Belgium.
2001 Hotel Stenungsbaden in Stenungsund Sweden.
2002 Westfields Marriott in Chantilly, Virginia, USA.
2003 Trianon Palace Hotel in Paris, France.
2004 Grand Hotel des Iles Borromees in Stresa, Italy.
2005 Dorint Sofitel Seehotel Überfahrt in Rottach-Egern, Germany.
2006 Brookstreet Hotel in Kanata, Ottawa, Canada.
2007 Ritz-Carlton Hotel, in Şişli, Istanbul, Turkey
On average, there have been 100 to 115 participants at each meeting originating mainly from Western Europe and North America. However; in recent years, there have been attendees from Eastern Europe (including Russia), Israel, Iran, Iraq, and Turkey. The following is a list of US guests that have attended two or more meetings between 2000 and 2007 inclusive (refer to my notes following this list):
US Guests who attended Bilderberg meetings
The number preceding a guest’s name indicates the number of annual meetings attended by that guest between 2000 and 2007.
8 Vernon E. Jordan Jr. – Lazard Frères & Co. LLC
8 Henry A. Kissinger – Kissinger Associates Inc.
8 Henry R. Kravis – Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co.
7 Thomas Donilon – Fannie Mae
7 James A. Johnson – Johnson Capital Partners
7 Marie-Josée Kravis – Hudson Institute Inc.
7 Jessica T. Mathews – Carnage Endowment for International Peace
7 Richard N. Perle – Hollinger Digital, Inc.
7 David Rockefeller – Chase Manhattan Bank International
6 Martin Feldstein – National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)
6 Allan B. Hubbard – E&A Industries
5 Timothy Collins – Ripplewood Holdings LLC
5 John Thornton – Goldman Sachs Group Inc.
4 Timothy Geithner – Federal Reserve Bank of New York
4 Paul A. Gigot – The Wall Street Journal
4 Richard N. Haass – Government (US) – State Department
4 Richard C. Holbrooke – United Nations (UN)
4 William J. Luti – US Government Defense Department
4 Graig J. Mundie – Microsoft Corporation
4 Dennis B. Ross – The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
4 James B. Steinberg – National Security Affairs Deputy
4 Paul Wolfowitz – Nitze School of Advanced International Studies
3 Paul Allaire – Xerox Corporation
3 William McDonough – Federal Reserve Bank of New York
3 Frank H. Pearl – Perseus LLC
3 Steven Rattner – Quandrangle Group
3 George Soros – Soros Fund Management
3 John Vinocur – The International Herald Tribune
3 Robert B. Zoellick – Trade Adviser to President George W. Bush
2 Jon Corzine – Senator – New Jersey
2 Kenneth Dam – US Government – Department of the Treasury
2 John Deutch – Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
2 Christopher Dodd – Senator – Connecticut
2 Chuck Hagel – Senator – Nebraska
2 Kay Bailey Hutchison – Senator – Texas
2 Mark C. Medish – Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld L.L.P.
2 Michael Moskow – Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago
2 Norman Pearlstine – Time Inc.
2 Clyde Prestowitz Jr. – Economic Strategy Institute (ESI)
2 Lodewijk Vink Jr. – Warner-Lambert Company
2 Fareed Zakaria – Newsweek International
Note 1: There have also been 67 high profile people from the US who had attended one meeting between 2000 and 2007 that have been excluded from my list. I tend to give people the benefit of the doubt. It is possible that one-time only guests may have attended simply out of curiosity and do not necessarily espouse the objectives of the Bilderberg group. Furthermore; a guest’s place of work was established when he/she first attended a meeting and may have changed since then. If you are curious about who these 67 people are, refer to Note 2.
Note 2: My source for the “attendees” list, including one-time guests can be found by clicking on: Bilderberg Conference Attendees which lists attendees from all countries by year from 1991 to 2008. I have also created a Lotus spreadsheet that contains the following information:
1. The names & titles of all guests from all countries who have attended Bilderberg meetings between 2007 and 2007 inclusive.
2. Which annual meeting(s) that each guest attended as well as what Companies; Foundations; Organizations and Government sectors that each guest is, or has been a part of.
If you would like to receive a download of the Lotus spreadsheet, simply make a request to: sequel.request@live.com
While I don’t have a native Excel version, I am told that Excel can open a Lotus file. If not, perhaps you can convert the Lotus file to Excel; send a copy of your Excel version to the aforementioned eMail address so that in the future, I can offer both a Lotus and Excel version of this information packed spreadsheet.
A simple question that begs a simple answer
In more than fifty years of meetings that brings together unprecedented power and money at the same time and place, never has any information been leaked out as to what subjects were debated during the Bilderberg Club meetings. How, in God’s name, can this be possible when the Bilderberg group’s elite membership list includes all of the most powerful individuals who run the Planet? What do the world’s most powerful people talk about at these meetings? Any modern democratic system protects the right to privacy; but doesn’t the public have a right to know what their political leaders are talking about when they meet with the wealthiest business leaders of their respective countries? What guarantees do citizens have that the Bilderberg Group isn’t a center for influence trafficking and lobbying if they aren’t allowed to know what their representatives talk about at the Club’s secret gatherings?,
Why do none of the mainstream corporate media outlets consider a gathering of such figures, to be newsworthy when a trip by any one of them on their own makes headline news on TV?
In the United States today, it is a select handful of extremely wealthy families who own the major Media such as ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC, Time magazine, Newsweek, the US News & World Report, the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune; – even such regional giants as the New Orleans Times-Picayune, the Miami Herald, the San Diego Herald-Tribune and the list goes on and on. Source: American Free Press
Why is there no Mainstream Media Coverage?
Why do none of the mainstream corporate media outlets consider a gathering of such figures, to be newsworthy when a trip by any one of them on their own makes headline news on TV? You will note that several members of the mainstream media were in attendance at these meetings; yet, not one word of the Bilderberg meetings hath they spoken. Just look at who attended from US mainstream Medias:
International Herald Tribune: John Vinocur – Senior Correspondent
New York Times: Thomas Friedman – Foreign Affairs Correspondent.
Newsweek International: Fareed Zakaria – Editor.
NBC News: Andrea Mitchell – Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent.
Rose Communications: Charlie Rose – President
The Economist: Adrian D. Wooldridge – Washington Bureau Chief.
Time Inc.: Norman Pearlstine – Editor-in-Chief.
Wall street Journal: Paul A. Gigot – Editorial Page Editor.
Wall street Journal: Max Boot – Features Editor.
Washington Post: Donald E. Graham – Publisher.
Washington Post: Jim Hoagland – Associate Editor.
Washington Post: Charles Krauthammer – Columnist.
Amazing – Twelve high-profile US Media people and not one word about the Bilderberg meetings that they attended – Why why why?
An Authoritative Expert on the Bilderberg Group
Daniel Esulin is an investigative journalist and is one of the World’s leading experts on the Bilderberg Group. He wrote the True Story of the Bilderberg Group (original title: La Verdadera Historia Del Club Bilderberg), a report on the nature and meetings of the World’s most powerful people. According to Estulin, the ultra-secretive Bilderbergers have been making major and important political, economical and social decisions since their first gathering in 1954. His book was named Non-fiction Book of the year in Canada by the Kingston Eye Opener, and subsequently became an international bestseller.
In December 2007, he claimed that he had received information from sources inside the US intelligence community which suggested that people from the highest levels of the US Government were considering an assassination attempt against Congressman Ron Paul, because they felt threatened by his burgeoning popularity as a presidential candidate.
In a recent interview, he stated: My father was a Soviet dissident who fought for freedom of speech and was jailed and tortured by the KGB. We are Russian ex-patriots who were deported from the Soviet Union in 1980 and settled in Canada. After having lived in Canada for 12 years, I moved to Spain where I still reside. My grandfather was a Colonel in the KGB and had been involved in counter-intelligence activities in the 1950s. I will always remember what my grandfather had told me: Most secret service people (KGB, MI6 & CIA) work for the secret service, because they are true patriots and do their work for the love of their respective countries; however, they’re the first ones that are absolutely terrified of the plans of the Bilderberg Group.
Certain US States are taking Precaution
While not mentioning the Bilderberg group by name, ten states have drafted a proposal requesting the US Congress to withdraw the United States from any activity that seeks to create a North American Union, which as we recall, is one of the key objectives of the Bilderberg group. The following is the South Carolina proposal: Source: South Carolina.
Other states with similar proposals include: Georgia; Illinois; Missouri; Montana; Oregon; South Dakota; Utah; Virginia and Washington.
Judge for yourself if the Bilderberg group is a myth or a reality.
Michael R. Palazzo
Rebuttal to the “Obama Deception” film by Alex Jones
In his recent Internet hit film entitled “the Obama Deception”, producer Alex Jones makes several serious allegations against President Obama. My blog refutes these allegations and also provides credible sources of information that substantiate the rebuttal. There’s always two sides to a story and my blog is the other side.
There are several groups that see President Obama as a threat to their respective agendas and most recently, Obama was the target of an Alex Jones film entitled the Obama Deception. I have just viewed the “Obama Deception” film and would like to critique it. Whether I critique a book or a documentary, I first try to gather some background information on the author or producer.
Alexander Emerick Jones (Author & producer of the film) is an American paleoconservative radio talk show host and documentary filmmaker. Without any preconceived bias towards the man, I immediately tagged him as being somewhat on the fringe when I read that he had spearheaded an effort to rebuild the David Koresh-led Branch Davidian compound/church near Waco, Texas. Tragically, Alex Jones has created an empire (both in terms of wealth & followers) for himself by manipulating people through fear and paranoia. To truly understand what I’m referring to, simply listen to one of his talk shows. Jones is constantly talking about the Government spending each and every second of its time listening to our phone conversations, monitoring what TV shows we watch, which websites we log onto, what books we check-out from the public library, and even what roads we drive on. He trumpets this fear and paranoia to such a fevered pitch that he tries to convince people that Big Brother is literally lurking behind every corner. Here’s the cold hard truth: The Government doesn’t care what 99% of the populace is doing, because 99% of Americans aren’t doing anything out of the ordinary. The following is a brief overview of some of Jones’ “expert” guests that appear in the film.
Gerald Celente is a United States trend forecaster, author and CEO of The Trends Research Institute founded in 1980. He is noted for predicting the 1987 stock market crash and the fall of the Soviet Union. However, when one searches through the Internet, there are dozens upon dozens of sites that point out the numerous times that his predictions weren’t even close. His latest prediction is: “By 2012, there will be a revolution in America, food riots, and tax rebellions. In four years, America will become an undeveloped nation. Holidays will be about food rather than gifts. Mass hysteria, dogs and cats living together. Doom and gloom”. Celente is definitely not in the same league as the World renowned futurist, Watts Walker (Time magazine 2006 person of the year).
Webster Griffin Tarpley is an author, journalist, lecturer, and critic of US foreign and domestic policy. Tarpley maintains that the September 11th attacks were engineered by a rogue network of the military industrial complex and intelligence agencies. His writings and speeches describe a model of “false flag” terror operations by a rogue network in the military/intelligence sector working with moles in the private sector and in corporate media. He characterizes such contemporary false flag operations in a historical context stretching back to at least the “gunpowder plot” in England in 1605. Tarpley is a former acolyte of crackpot and convicted felon Lyndon H. LaRouche, Jr. who is generally described as a perennial presidential candidate who once said that the Queen of England ran the global drug trade. Tarpley may have left the LaRouche group, but it has not left him.
Richard “Professor Griff” Griffin is an American rapper; spoken word artist, and is a former member of the hip hop group “Public Enemy”. He is also head of the Security of the First World. I would place Professor Griffin’s political knowledge on par with that of Joe the Plumber.
Lawrence Krishna Parker better known by his stage name KRS-One, is an American rapper. Over his career, he has been known by several pseudonyms including “Kris Parker”, “The Blastmaster”, “The Teacha”, and “The Philosopher”. At the 2008 BET Awards, KRS-One was the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award, for all his work and effort towards the “Stop the Violence Movement” as well as the overall grand pioneer of hip-hop music and culture. Same deal as with Professor Griff.
General Comments
The entire movie could have been condensed to about 40 minutes (instead of its approximate 2 hour run time) and would still have contained all of the allegations presented about Obama. The extra information involves the New World Order Bilderberg group, the Federal Reserve Bank, and interviews with the usual list of experts from Jones’ other movies. I will only critique Jones’ attacks on President Obama, given that it was the President’s name, Obama, that garnered so much Internet attention to Jones’ film.
Jones’ basic premise is that all post J.F.K. Presidents of the United States, whether Republican or Democrat, are put into office and subsequently controlled by the Bilderberg group through their ties with the Trilateral Commission and the U.S. Council on Foreign Relations; albeit, Jones does not present any hard evidence of that allegation. For this allegation to be true, one has to seriously question if the entire U.S. voting process is controlled by the Bilderbergers. While it is true that Presidential candidates receive Corporate funding; Media endorsements as well as various Group support (i.e.: Labor unions, Church groups, etc…), it is still ultimately the American voters who elect a President into office. This is especially true of Obama who was not elected by the establishment, but by average American voters crossing all political and demographic lines.
At around the 43:30 minute mark of the film, one of Jones’ cronies, Webster Tarpley, makes a very interesting statement which goes something like this: “This is why Obama was prepared and groomed for a period of over thirty years”. Think about this statement. It would mean that the Bilderbergers approached Obama when he was roughly 18 years old and just about finishing high school. Why, in God’s name, would the Bilderbergers approach an 18 year old black teenager who at that time, was no better or worse than the millions of U.S. high school graduates at that time. Furthermore, how could the Bilderbergers have possibly known that Barak Obama even existed? I’m trying to remain unbiased; but this allegation smells of pure fabrication and if one fabrication can be made, so can others.
Key Allegations made by Jones against Obama
I will now present some of Alex Jones’ key allegations using bold italics while my rebuttals will appear in regular font. Key points in my rebuttals that I wish to emphasize are highlighted in bold font.
1. Obama is already pushing to expand the U.S. Department of Defense budget and to station more troops overseas to encircle Russia, China, Iran as well as setting up bases in Africa under the pretext of humanitarian aid and dominate and occupy Africa through the United States Africa Command.
Let’s use “more troops overseas to encircle Russia & China” as an example. I seem to recall an impromptu meeting held between U.S. President Barak Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev at the G-20 2009 summit in London, England just two weeks after the release of Jones’ film. Specifically, Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev began talks at the U.S. embassy residence in Regent’s Park, central London, aimed at achieving significant nuclear disarmament and reshaping relations between their two countries.
In another impromptu meeting between President Barak Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao, Hu noted after the meeting that the two sides have reached consensus on the orientation of China-U.S. relations in the new era and on the establishment of “China-U.S. Strategic and Economic Dialogues” mechanism.
By having made such a major breakthrough with the leaders of Russia and China, does any logical person believe that Obama would be insane enough to completely erase what he had just achieved by going forth and encircling both Russia and China with more troops and more missiles? I tend to put my faith in what I see is happening rather than what someone else wants me to believe.
2. They (referring to Obama) further plan to federalize Healthcare so that the Government can dictate what kind of Healthcare citizens receive modeled after the British system. This includes rationing care as well as what procedures the handicapped and elderly are eligible for.
The following is President Obama’s official position on Healthcare and can be verified at:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/agenda/health_care
On health care reform, the American people are too often offered two extremes; Government-run health care with higher taxes or letting the insurance companies operate without rules. President Obama and Vice President Biden believe both of these extremes are wrong, and that’s why they’ve proposed a plan that strengthens employer coverage, makes insurance companies accountable and ensures patient choice of doctor and care without government interference. The plan provides affordable, accessible health care for all Americans, builds on the existing health care system, and uses existing providers, doctors, and plans. Under the Obama-Biden plan, patients will be able to make health care decisions with their doctors, instead of being blocked by insurance company bureaucrats.
The above highlighted points completely contradict Jones’ allegations that the Government can dictate what kind of Healthcare citizens receive; their Healthcare rations, as well as what procedures the handicapped and elderly are eligible for.
3. Radically expand federal control over family farms and ranches through the Animal ED and Premises ID system.
The American Veterinary Medical Association testified before the U.S. Congress on animal identification, making the case that a mandatory nationwide program that tracks livestock is the most effective way to minimize the effects of an animal disease outbreak.
The following is Obama’s official position on farmers and can be verified at:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/agenda/rural/
Rural communities face numerous challenges; but also economic opportunities unlike anything we have witnessed in modern history. President Obama and Vice President Biden believe that together, we can ensure a bright future for rural America. They will help family farmers and rural small businesses find profitability in the marketplace and success in the global economy by providing them with economic opportunity as follows:
a) Strong Safety Net for Family Farmers: Fight for farm programs that provide family farmers with stability and predictability. Implement a $250,000 payment limitation so we help family farmers — not large corporate agribusiness. Close the loopholes that allow mega farms to get around payment limits.
b) Prevent Anticompetitive Behavior Against Family Farms: Pass a packer ban. When meatpackers own livestock they can manipulate prices and discriminate against independent farmers. Strengthen anti-monopoly laws and strengthen producer protections to ensure independent farmers have fair access to markets, control over their production decisions, and transparency in prices.
c) Regulate CAFOs: Strictly regulate pollution from large factory livestock farms, with fines for those that violate tough standards. Support meaningful local control.
d) Establish Country of Origin Labeling: Implement Country of Origin Labeling so that American producers can distinguish their products from imported ones.
e) Encourage Organic and Local Agriculture: Help organic farmers afford to certify their crops and reform crop insurance to not penalize organic farmers. Promote regional food systems.
f) Encourage Young People to Become Farmers: Establish a new program to identify and train the next generation of farmers. Provide tax incentives to make it easier for new farmers to afford their first farm.
g) Partner with Landowners to Conserve Private Lands: Increase incentives for farmers and private landowners to conduct sustainable agriculture and protect wetlands, grasslands, and forests.
I have thoroughly reviewed the above, and cannot find one clause that remotely suggests that Obama wants to radically expand federal control over family farms and ranches.
4. Accelerate the merger of the United States with Canada and Mexico under the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America Act (S.P.P.).
Because this issue is of such importance, I will state the terms of the S.P.P.:
The S.P.P. is a White House-led initiative among the United States and the two nations it borders – Canada and Mexico – to increase security and to enhance prosperity among the three countries through greater cooperation. The S.P.P. is based on the principle that our prosperity is dependent on our security and recognizes that our three great nations share a belief in freedom, economic opportunity, and strong democratic institutions. The S.P.P. outlines a comprehensive agenda for cooperation among our three countries while respecting the sovereignty and unique cultural heritage of each nation. The S.P.P. provides a vehicle by which the United States, Canada, and Mexico can identify and resolve unnecessary obstacles to trade and it provides a means to improve our response to emergencies and increase security, thus benefiting and protecting Americans.
a) The Canadian Border Services Agency’s website states that “The Security and Prosperity Partnership” is a trilateral initiative. There is absolutely no mention that it has been legislated into an Act or Treaty. Source: http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/menu-eng.html
b) The SPP.Gov website states: The S.P.P. is a dialogue to increase security and enhance prosperity among the three countries. The S.P.P. is not an agreement nor is it a treaty. In fact, no agreement was ever signed. Source: http://www.spp.gov/
From two independent and official sources, one Canadian and one American, there is no evidence to support the claim that the S.P.P. is a signed Act or Treaty. The following is a synopsis of the role of the US Congress:
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States of America, consisting of two houses, the Senate and the House of Representatives. Both senators and representatives are chosen through direct election. Article I of the Constitution vests all legislative power in the Congress. The House and Senate are equal partners in the legislative process (legislation cannot be enacted without the consent of both chambers); however, the Constitution grants each chamber some unique powers. The Senate is uniquely empowered to ratify treaties and to approve top presidential appointments. Revenue-raising bills must originate in the House of Representatives, which also has the sole power of impeachment, while the Senate has the sole power to try impeachment cases.
In the film, Jones conveniently forgets to mention that the S.P.P. has never been signed. He also forgets to mention that any major proposed legislation, especially something as important as the S.P.P. proposal would require an act of Congress to be passed.
How, in God’s name, could Jones make a statement that Obama will accelerate the merger of the United States with Canada and Mexico under the S.P.P. when the S.P.P. has never been signed nor would it be likely signed if it actually went for Congressional approval?
Jones is either unaware of these two facts (which I doubt) or he conveniently makes the S.P.P. sound as if it’s a done deal to support his allegation that Obama will accelerate the merger of the United States with Canada and Mexico. This is another classic example of Jones making a seemingly valid statement with absolutely no foundation.
Conclusion: The Obama Deception Film
Jones has created a masterpiece; however, my conclusion is focused on Alex Jones who produced the film.
I tell people that if they want to change the world around them, they need to rise up, be strong, and let their voices be heard. In other words, we’ll never pose a serious threat to the proposed S.P.P. unless we’re organized and active! If the people could unite to elect a President, they could definitely unite again to stop any legislation that would literally remove U.S. borders between Canada and Mexico. Does Jones really believe that both a Congressional and Senatorial majority would actually vote to abolish the sovereignty of the U.S.? This line of thought, on the part of Jones, is taking conspiracy theories to a whole new level.
On the other hand, Jones’ radio show secretes so much fear and paranoia, that it’s a miracle that half his listeners aren’t hiding beneath their beds. His film making style is also designed to instill unhealthy fear. One minute, he injects a dose of Hitler saluting hoards of marching SS soldiers and the next minute, a demonized photo of Obama is flashed.
Then to add credibility to the film, his hand-picked experts come onto the scene and re-amplify, in their own words, the content of the preceding film scene. Moreover, he masterfully projects the image that his paranoia of Obama is shared by a cross section of Americans by using characters such as Gerald Celente right through to Joe Rogan and Professor Griff. He even adds a dab of Wayne Paul for about 10 seconds to further legitimize his film. And like any good film maker, he has several story lines going on at the same time, constantly switching from one to another so as to not get his viewers bored with just the one theme. There’s the Obama story; the Bilderberg story; the Federal Reserve Bank story; the Police state control grid story; the Restriction of free speech story and on and on and on.
Let’s examine Jones’ paranoia to a logical conclusion. If the Government really is monitoring our every move, then they must know where Jones lives, where he works, what car he drives, and where he shops. In this sense, if they really wanted to take him out, don’t you think they’d just do it instead of talking about it? Jones has been doing his show for ten years and no one has snuffed him yet. Don’t you think they would have gotten around to it by now? If these blood-thirsty monsters really wanted to do a hit on somebody, they’d do it without a second thought! What do you think professional assassins do – post a message in the center of town that says, “We’re going to kill Vito Genovese at 12:00 noon on June 4th?” Hell no. They just do the hit, and then it’s over and done. His paranoia, with respect to conspiracy theories is so deeply rooted, that it’s tantamount to suffering from Münchausen’s syndrome.
The real underlying theme of Jones’ film is his obsessive paranoia of the Bilderberg group that advocates a New World Order, and according to Jones, has controlled all U.S. Presidents (Democrats and Republicans) subsequent to the presidency of J.F.K. I also believe that the Bilderbergers advocate a New World Order; are extremely powerful and pose a potential threat to the United States. The main difference between Jones and I on this issue lies in our degree of concern. Jones is absolutely convinced that the Bilderbergers have already taken control of the US Presidency since the early 60’s while I believe that the Bilderbergers have not yet succeeded. As I have stated previously, I tend to put my faith in what I see is happening rather than what someone else wants me to believe. As one example, Congress has never passed an Act or Treaty that infringes upon the sovereignty of the United States. Jones, on the other hand, has let his paranoia convince himself and those who follow him that the U.S. Presidency is actually controlled by the Bilderbergers. The plain truth is that there is no foreign entity that controls the United States, its Presidency or its Congress. On this extremely important issue, Americans should demand Alex Jones to provide concrete proof of what he is preaching; however, that will never happen, because no such proof exits.
Jones is clever and knew very well that had he entitled his film “the Bilderberg Group Threatens our Country’s Sovereignty”, virtually no one would have viewed his film. But by attacking President Obama and calling his film the “Obama Deception”, Jones was quite clever in orchestrating a relatively inexpensive way to attract an extremely large Internet audience to view his film. Had John McCain been elected President, he most certainly would have named his film the “McCain Deception”.
For those of us who can see the film for what it really is, it is really not about Obama; but rather using Obama as a vehicle to express his fear about the power of the Bilderberg group. If you recall the scene where Jones and his followers are peering into the cars of guests arriving at the hotel to attend the Bilderberg meeting, guess who is at Jones’ side. No one other than Daniel Estulin, who is the leading authority on the covert Bilderberg group and has also been a guest on Jones’ radio talk show.
Jones is doing nothing more than creating an illusion of fear and paranoia so that everyone will buy his “Police State” videos. Remember what I had previously stated: Alex Jones has created an empire both in terms of wealth & followers.
An Alternate Perspective of Obama
Right up until the end, Hillary Clinton was still running ahead of Barak Obama in the polls. But on Tuesday, June 3rd 2008, Illinois Senator Barak Obama surprised the world and won the Democratic Party nomination despite Clinton’s popularity; her gender and the fact that Obama was an Afro-American. Do proponents of the “Obama Deception” believe that the Bilderbergers got to him the next day? That would have been a tall order, given that Obama was virtually busy day & night on the campaign trail until he won the Presidential campaign on Tuesday, November 4th 2008. Did the Bilderbergers get to Obama during the transition period which also kept him busy day & night until he officially took office on Tuesday, January 20th 2009?
Or maybe they really got to him when he had just finished high school.
In 1985, freshly graduated from Columbia University and working for a New York business consultant, Barak Obama decided to become a community organizer. Though he liked the idea, he didn’t understand what the job involved, and his inquiries turned up few opportunities.
Then he got a call from Jerry Kellman, an organizer working on Chicago’s far South side for a community group based in the churches of the region, an expanse of white, black and Latino blue-collar neighborhoods that were reeling from the steel-mill closings. Kellman was looking for an organizer for the new Developing Communities Project (DCP), which would focus on black city neighborhoods.
Obama, only 24, struck board members as “awesome” and “extremely impressive,” and they quickly hired him, at $13,000 a year, plus $2,000 for a car–a beat-up blue Honda Civic, which Obama drove for the next three years organizing more than twenty congregations to change their neighborhoods.
Despite some meaningful victories, the work of Obama–and hundreds of other organizers–did not transform the South side or restore lost industries. But it did change the young man who became the junior Senator from Illinois in 2004, and it provides clues to his worldview as he bade for the Democratic presidential nomination.
“I can’t say that we didn’t make mistakes nor that I knew what I was doing,” Obama recalled three years ago to a boisterous convention of the still-active DCP. “Sometimes I called a meeting, and nobody showed up. Sometimes preachers said, ‘Why should I listen to you?’ Sometimes we tried to hold politicians accountable, and they didn’t show up. I couldn’t tell whether I got more out of it than this neighborhood.”
But, he continued, “I grew up to be a man, right here, in this area. It’s as a consequence of working with this organization and this community that I found my calling. There was something more than making money and getting a fancy degree. The measure of my life would be my public service.”
Isn’t it possible that Obama is who he says he is?
Michael R. Palazzo
(aka: Political Commentator)
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