I started watching Barack Obama’s speech last night at the Democratic National Convention. First, for a party that wants to take care of the poor and the environment, having a big to-do at a stadium seems a little irresponsible. What I took in mostly from the speech is that Obama wants the government to take care of you. He wants more tax breaks for the “bottom” 95% of tax payers, he wants children to have money for college, he wants the same health care for all, he wants a chicken in every pot (ok, he didn’t really mention that one).

I must say, he gave a great speech. I just want to see, in print, the real plan. How will he accomplish these goals? Remember, he has to work with Congress to put these plans into action and Congress hasn’t seemed to been able to accomplish much of late.

John McCain may be 72 according to his age, but his real age is something different. Dr. Michael Roizen has calculated McCain’s Real Age according to various factors such as body mass index, blood pressure, cholesterol, cancer history and others. After adding and subtracting, Dr. Roizen estimates that McCain’s Real Age is 63.7 years old, nine years younger.

McCain tries to keep healthy, but may not be in the best physical shape as he could be. As far as I know he doesn’t take weight loss pills or go on fad diets but instead concentrates on healthy eating, although he does love his Dunkin’ Donuts. McCain, however, was a former smoker and kicked the habit in 1980.

Dr. Roizen says that stress could be a factor later on, especially if McCain is elected President.

Obama has been the candidate of change, but now that he has chosen his running mate is he still that candidate. Joe Biden has been in the Senate for more than thirty years and the American people are not real happy with Congress right now. So, is Joe Biden perceived as hindering Obama’s vision of change?

This alliance reminds me of another from movie fame. I can just hear Biden whispering into Obama’s hear - “Come to the Dark Side!”

We have a third party running for the US Senate from New Jersey - Jason Sheurer. He will run on the Libertarian ticket. Scheurer has been quoted as saying:

Runaway spending, a crumbling education system, rampant illegal immigration, corruption at every level of government, a bankrupt social security system, and a failed foreign policy make it more important than ever to offer to the voters of New Jersey a real choice this coming November. The time is now to make the real changes needed to get America back on the right track and not rely on the same two political parties that have brought us to the place we are today.

Amen! I also love his stand on illegal immigration - you don’t automatically get citizenship is you are born here. He also favors making English the official language of New Jersey. Looks like I will be voting Libertarian this year!

Of all the possibilities that Obama could pick, Joe Biden was the last person on my list. Not that I am voting for Obama anyway, but Joe Biden is a crabby Senator with zero personality. Of course, I knew that Obama would pick someone that was older and had a lot of experience, not someone who needs blemish acne cream!

The big kicker is that Biden, when he was running against Obama for President, stated that Obama wasn’t experienced enough to lead the country. I guess he is changing his tune now. Amazing how your opinion changes when you are asked to be a Vice Presidential candidate!

If you love golfing, you are now able to pick up an Obama Golf Ball. You can get a sleeve of three golf balls for only $15.00. Support McCain? You can also get a set of three McCain Golf Balls for $10.00. I guess in this case McCain offers the better deal for the American public. I saw a lot of signs, shirts and bags in each of the nominees stores, but I was hoping for a pair of McCain golf shoes or maybe some Obama golf bag!

Which ones would you buy?

It seems that John McCain just doesn’t know how many houses he owns making a great campaign ad for Obama. Obama will try and portray McCain as being out of touch with the average working American. It was finally revealed that McCain owns eight houses/condos in three different states. McCain also put his foot in his mouth last week commented that you have to make $5 million a year to be consider rich in the country.

Don’t let Obama fool you however, while McCain’s 2007 income tax records showed income of $405,409 (his wife’s was about $6 million), Barack and Michelle Obama’s 2007 income tax records showed income of $4.2 million. Not too shabby for a defender of the poor and middle class. I don’t think either of them remember what middle class really is.

I was proud of US Swimmer Rebecca Soni when she won the Gold Medal in the women’s 200 meter breast stroke. She is from my neck of the woods, hailing from Plainsboro, New Jersey. She edged out Australian swimmer Leisel Jones who was previously the world record holder. Besides rooting for the US, I always give a shout out to the Australians as well. Don’t you just love the UGG Australia boots!

The horses, english saddles and other equipment are shipped from all over the world for the Olympic Equestrian events held in Hong Kong. Unfortunately, the Equestrian events are not ones in which China will win a medal.

Hua Tian, China’s first and only Olympic horse rider was eliminated after falling at one of the jumps. Tian is only 18 years old and the youngest Olympian in the equestrian events. There is a lot of pressure on Chinese athletes to bring home gold medals. Fortunately for Tian, he lives in London!

Spc. Matthew A. Koch
23 years old from West Henrietta, New York
Company C, 70th Engineer Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 1st Armored Division
March 9, 2005

Spc. Matthew A. Koch was on his second tour of duty when he was killed by an IED that was detonated near his vehicle in Taji. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart. He previously was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal, Good Conduct Medal, Army Service Ribbon and medals for service in the fight against terrorism.

Koch enlisted in the Army in January 2002 after the attacks on September 11, 2001 and re-enlisted because he wanted to help the Iraqi people. “He was a brave soldier who made the greatest sacrifice anyone could make for everyone else’s freedom,” Diane Worman, Koch’s mother, said through tears. “He realized that by being over there, he was going to make a difference in the lives of those people.” She said her son once unsuccessfully sought green cards for an Iraqi family that had been threatened for helping Americans.

“He always looked out for the other guy, never thought of himself. He volunteered to go to C Co before our first deployment so that one of the guys from our Platoon didn’t have to deploy early and would have a chance to marry his fiance. That’s Koch for you, always looking out for his buddies.” - David A. “Buch” Buchanan.

“He really loved the service and went back,” said James Worman, Koch’s stepfather. “He had no problem. He was dedicated to the fact that people over there needed help. He was always concerned about other people. He loved children. He was a nice, soft-hearted kid.”

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

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