Comment from Sasha
Time: August 23, 2008, 2:04 pm

It was what I hoped for. Good job.

Comment from timr
Time: August 23, 2008, 3:45 pm

Josh, here is another view. I think just about the only arab american columnist anywhere in the US. He lives here in San Antonio and the vitriol that he takes from the rushrobots and the other wing nut racists here in south tx is quite disheartening. My guess is that even they can’t make their racist comments about AA’s any more, but that does allow them to flail around about arab americans. At least here in SA they have to keep their mouths shut about latinos because they are the majority here, 60% of SA is latino, about 14% AA, 2-3% asian, 1-2% arabic so only about 20% wasp. Whites in the minority, wow, just like the entire US will be by 2050-spanglish, the new language of the US.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/opinion/columnists/mansour_el-kikhia/With_the_world_in_peril_Obama_victory_is_crucial.html
he has many interesting columns in the Express-News, I have been enjoying his comments for 5 years now. You want more, go to MySA.Com

Comment from Amos N. Handy
Time: August 24, 2008, 7:35 am

The following is a prime example of what comes to mind about our electoral process and the question of whether or not challenged individuals of voting age, be permitted to vote ?

This from the comments section of
http://www.mysanantonio.com/opinion/columnists/mansour_el-kikhia/With_the_world_in_peril_Obama_victory_is_crucial.html
in Timr’s post.

bmc 4:36 PM “Isn’t it terrible that with all the highley intelligent people the US has Obama and McCain are the only two we could come up with for president.All though neither one of them is what this country needs I’ll be d— if I am going to vote for some one who won’t salute our(his)flag because it repersents oppression to some or won’t sing the National Anthem because it has rockets bursting in the air (reflects violence). It is because of old glory that people have all the opportunities they have and the rockets have made sure the opportunities remain. Obama demonstrates a severe lack of respect for his country and all that it represents. GOD Bless The USA or does Obama have a problem with him too?”

Now tell me, does this person have in your mind, the capacity to make an intelligent and well informed choice, on any ballot ?

Comment from Josh Hammond
Time: August 24, 2008, 8:00 am

Amos, I agree. I would add that only Bill Richardson, of all the candidates on the Democratic side, and Mitt Romney on the Pug side, was qualified to be president. But neither had draw or McCain’s survival skills.

I am giving some serious thought to a consititutional amendment movement to change the qualifications for president. I would leave the Bruce Springstein part of it, and the age part of it, but I would add excecutive experience (an elected executive/management position such as major, attorney general, admiral or general, president of a university or major non-profit, or president or CEO of a Fortune 500 company.)

This would only work if Obama, the gods forbid, should loose.

Comment from Sasha
Time: August 24, 2008, 9:12 am

Josh I think that is a terrible idea. I have seen lots of executives up close and as far as I am concerned the experience of most of them excludes them from consideration. It is easy to hire a manager …

Comment from timr
Time: August 24, 2008, 10:57 am

Amos,No, you should check out some sites like military .com if you want to see some ugly lies about Obama. I correct them when I can, but then I get blasted and called nasty names. Besides not being able to spell(a fine example of american education) the sheeple believe everything that rush and shawn tell them. Right wing hate radio operates on the idea that if 3 different hate radio hosts say it, then it must be true. Most of the comments sent to Kikhia are much worse. Racism run rampant and all due to the anonymity of the web. Really hateful stuff, but I guess that because he is an arab, not an AA or hispanic(SA is 60% hispanic) it is ok.-Just as an aside, all of the hispanics that I have met in my 5 years here have been, for the most part, a whole lot smarter than those who comment to Kikhia. For one thing, most speak at least 2 languages and their english is not only educated but it is spoken without an accent. It is something to watch someone switch from english to spanish without a pause, I am learning spanish, but people have to speak verrry slowly for me to understand

Comment from timr
Time: August 24, 2008, 11:08 am

extra thought on american education. Since the NCLB act schools must report drop out rates yearly. They are, IMO, all lies. If they were to report the real figures-about 30% od HS students drop out every year, nationwide-then no school would be able to pass. I read an article in Texas Monthly last month about a HS in Austin that actually had an astounding drop out rate of 79%. Not 7.9% but 79%, that school was closed due to really bad performance when the real number-they reported 12%-came out. Of course Texas does have bilingual education, just another way to keep the hispanic students from ever succeeding. Education is something that is in really bad shape, something that really does effect National Security. Just as we found out in the 50’s how far behind the USSR we were, so today we are falling behind countries that we used to call 3rd world. I wonder what that makes us?

Comment from Josh Hammond
Time: August 24, 2008, 12:45 pm

Sasha I agree that being an executive is no virtue, but it is management experience. McCain has none and Obama’s was managing the law review. Both, of course, have campaign management experience, but in these cases they are more executives than managers.

With the exception of JFK, I can’t think of a single president of the 20th Century who did not have exeucitve experience!

Comment from Sasha
Time: August 24, 2008, 1:08 pm

That didn’t make them good at the job.

Comment from Josh Hammond
Time: August 24, 2008, 2:02 pm

Does that mean there were no good presidents in the 20th Century?

Comment from Sasha
Time: August 24, 2008, 3:08 pm

No. It means that the quality “good” is unrelated to executive experience.