An Open Letter To President Obama And Secretary Of State John Kerry

Dear President Obama and Secretary Of State Kerry

I want you to know that I voted for the both of you. I voted for you, Mr. President, twice. I voted for you, Mr. Kerry very eagerly in 2004, in hopes that you would defeat George Bush.

I now wish I had not.

It has been reported in the press that you will be giving $212 million dollars to the Palestinians to help them rebuild Gaza.

I have two questions and for once, I would like a straight answer.

1. WHY ARE YOU GIVING MONEY TO AN ACKNOWLEDGED TERRORIST ORGANIZATION?

Hamas has never disguised their true intentions. They care nothing for the people of Gaza, except to be used as human shields.  While I sympathize with the people in Gaza who are trapped under Hamas rule, I have no sympathy whatsoever for the person who shoots rockets into Israel and then cries crocodile tears when the IDF acts to protect the civilian population.

Hamas is alone responsible for the destruction of Gaza. This is not the first time they have received a financial transfusion. Instead of using that money to build up  the infrastructure and economy, it was used to buy rockets and build concrete tunnels into Israel.

In case you need reminding, one of the young men who was murdered at the start of the war this summer was an American citizen.

2. WHY IS THAT MONEY NOT BEING USED FOR ISSUES THAT NEED TO BE RESOLVED WITHIN OUR OWN COUNTRY?

I can think of plenty of ways this money could be used to fix issues in this country. We have a national debt that is growing by leaps and bounds.

Last December, Congress voted to stop extended unemployment benefits after 27 weeks of unemployment. This means that when the period to receive state unemployment insurance has ended, there is no more unemployment.  I don’t know if you have ever been unemployed, but the maximum amount of money that unemployment insurance provides is $405. It may not sound like much (and believe me, it isn’t),  but that weekly $405 check is the only thing that keeps some people off the streets.  That $212 billion dollars could more than help those who need unemployment until they find work again.

You made me believe in you at one point. I had no doubt at that point in time, that you would follow through on your promises.

I now see that I was wrong.

Sincerely, A Concerned Citizen

Advertisement

The Critics Were Wrong (Maybe)- Fame (2009)

The 1980 musical Fame , based on the lives and dreams of students at a performing arts high school in New York City is a classic. In 2009, Hollywood decided to reboot Fame for the current generation.

The staff was played by the likes of established actors Kelsey Grammer, Megan Mullally, Bebe Neuwirth, Debbie Allen (known for being in both the movie and TV series Fame) and Charles S Dutton. The students, played by up and coming actors Kay Panabaker, Naturi Naughton (who sang the title track) and Kherington Payne.

Were the critics wrong?

I could lean toward yes.  With the right audience who has no knowledge or memory of the original movie or the television show that aired two years later, this movie is not that bad. But to those who are a little older and/or have fond memories of the original movie, this movie has all of the plot and promise, but  something is not quite right.