November 4, 2008, a date which will live in history or infamy...what do you believe?

A historic and unprecedented event has occurred! Mark this day down on your calendars! November 4, 2008 will go down as one of the most important dates in United States' history. For the first time ever a man with a scant descent to those who were once brought here as slaves is now the President of the United States. Congratulations to President elect Barack Obama! Now what?

Many men have come before him and probably asked this very question, once all the cards were down on the table. They all had to come to the realization that they were the Commander-in-Chief of the American civilization! That is a pretty tall order no matter when one of those men served this country in that duty. America represents freedom, democracy, a willingness to help, servitude, patriotism, and at times conquest for the sake of all.

"We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal..." These words rang true Tuesday night. It's not in as much because a "black" man won the presidency, but that this stipulation from the Declaration of Independence was fulfilled. Everyone, I do mean everyone, has a right to run for the presidency if they are born in this nation. For the most part these people are chosen young, born into families with political means. But, every so often, someone comes along that had to earn the right. There's no question Barack Obama has done that. But the real question is, was he the right man for the job?

I toyed with the notion of not voting for a Democrat or a Republican. I wasn't satisfied with either party and who are the Libertarians, Constitutionals or Independents? I don't know them, so why would I even consider voting for one of them? I've never heard their agendas or even read a blog by one of them. So that only left the two parties that frankly I depised right now. The past sixteens years of my life have been a tumultuous time for presidents, having seen both a Democrat for eight years and then a Republican for eight more. I was too young to have ever voted for Ronald Reagan, but I do remember how great he was for this country and history will record him as such. He was by far one of the best presidents we have ever had. Unfortunately, the presidents I remember most either had the name Bush or Clinton.

George Herbert Walker Bush was not a bad president, he was just unfortunate. After a grand victory in the Persian Gulf War of 1991, he couldn't keep the economy in check and that cost him his presidency. After this, in marched Bill Clinton. Clinton was a smart man, but he was led around by his "insecurities." I will say this for Bill Clinton, he knew how to balance the budget. Economic times for this country were the best they had ever been during his presidency. He helped to bring us out of the recession and into a era or prosperity. Things looked great, until the year 2000! I guess in a way, all ye doomsayers, the end of the world really did occur that year.
Because of the moral issues of the Clinton Administration, that essentially opened the door for George Walker Bush. Having liked his father as a child during the Reagan years and with his own presidency, I thought why not vote for his son? What's the worst that could happen? I guess WE ALL found out!

Without a doubt, the last eight years have been some of the worst in United States' history. It all began with the horrid 2000 election. I'll admit that I voted for W., but he should not have won that election. If the presidential election were based on the popular vote (as it should be) Al Gore would have been and probably should have been president. Now, I know that thought scares a lot of people, but fair is fair. The electoral college was broken, smashed into pieces that year. It was abundantly clear to all Americans, and to the rest of the world that the American people did not know who they wanted for president and could not seem to punch a simple piece of paper properly. A bad omen indeed.

It only got worse in 2001 when Bush's limo was egged on its way to the Capitol, for the Inauguration. Then, within a few months, Bush was launching an attack on Iraq. Subtly was not W.'s strength. Why didn't he just say, "I'm bombing you back to the stone age because you cost my daddy his job!" Then, of course, how can any of us forget September 11, 2001? I watched that day unfold, scared and crying. But I always remembered something from that day. It really was just a random thought and I was curious as to why I thought it. What's going to happen now? What if our nation had something to do with this?

I wanted to believe in Bush after that, but I just couldn't. Something nagged at me from then on. It's funny I had that thought about our country's involvement in that attack, because later people would put a video together (loosechange911.com) about the possibility of such. However, I will not touch on that here, that's not what this is about. Even Oliver Stone wasn't bold enough to touch that and he's the conspiracy guru!

9/11 was only a prelude to what was to come. After that we struck fear into the hearts of Taliban everywhere by taking on Afghanistan. That was like a vulture going out of its way to pick up a dead ant on a deserted road. It was a pointless skirmish and let the world know that America will blow you up, just for kicks. But then came 2002 and the push to go after Iraq.

So what exactly is a WMD? The technical terminology is Weapons of Mass Destruction. But in this case, WMD really stood for Wanting More Dough! Where better to find that than in the heart of the most oil rich land there is. I've always believed that Operation Iraqi Freedom, or whatever they want to call it now, was simply a cover to obtain the bubbling crude. Why you might ask? Not to ensure domestic tranquility, or promote the general wellfare, certainly not to provide for the common defense. No, it was all about raking in the dough and making the world pay for it in the mean time! Secure the oil, conquer it, but let's make some money on the side for our own pocket books!

I didn't need an Oliver Stone film to put me in a level of thinking that maybe it was all a conspiracy. I could read between the lines back in 2003. The easiest one to read, Colin Powell. You could tell the man did not agree with anything that was going on, it was obvious! It was proven more true when Mr. Powell resigned his position as Secretary of State, leaving Bush high and dry to fight his own wars and own battles. He supported his father, but he wasn't going to support W.

So that brought us to 2004! Another presidential election and you would assume the Democrats would have the candidate to stomp Bush into the ground. Instead the American people were given John Kerry, need I say more. After the funeral, I'm sorry election, of 2004, Bush was at it again. Because of Kerry, I voted for this man a SECOND time. To quote Bush from the film W., "You fool me once, shame on you. You fool me twice...(stammering)...you can't fool me again." (Holding my head in my hand, while shaking it at the same time; the man can't even get a simple quip correct). But this time, something was different. If you haven't seen the movie "W." I suggest you go. It will make you feel bad for Bushy, but also show you exactly what I mean. In one part of the film Bush is stated as saying, "God wants me to be president." If this remark is something W. said, then God made it clear how He really felt about our president in 2004 and beyond.

First, in 2004, Florida was ripped asunder by 3 separate hurricanes, one even doing a U-turn to make sure it hit the state. When has that EVER happened?? A penance for a possible rigged election in 2000? Bushy's brother Jeb was the governor of Florida at that time, so who knows.
Then you had August 29, 2005! Hurricane Katrina WAS a wrath of God, no question. Not only did this storm show the destructive force of nature and the arrogance of human beings to build in locations below sea level, it also showed the ineptitude of the American government under its current leadership (that would be W. in case you missed it). Not to mention that this hurricane struck at the heart of our oil production rigs in the Gulf of Mexico. Talk about a slap to the face of Bush! Let the oil price gouging frenzy ensue!

After that, several unexpected "plagues" descended upon the American people. For instance, where I live, it has not rained much at all for 2 and 1/2 years!! We used to have a nice lake, you know that thing with water in it? California has nearly burned to the ground in some places. The entire Southeastern United States has been in drought conditions for two years! There is something in the Bible that speaks of God closing up the heavens, so that it may not rain for a time of His duration. Oh yeah, I think that might be in Revelation!

The most appropriate and obvious method of God's wrath upon our nation would have to be in the form of Hurricane Ike, this year in 2008. Bush is on his way out and what happens, a hurricane strikes his own home state practically where he will be residing in a few months! Now if George Walker Bush hasn't gotten the message by now, I will be glad to explain it to him slowly! He has not done what's right in the eyes of anyone, including God. You can make all the excuses you want for him, saying he got a bum deal, it wasn't all his fault, the Democrats are as much to blame, or bad things happened, but this man brought it all on himself and we, AMERICA, are having to pay for it dearly.

Might I add, the mortgage issues may have started with Carter, but this economic collapse did not occur with Carter, Reagan, Bush, Sr., or Clinton. Yes, it took thirty years to establish itself, but some heavy duty spending for these wars and disasters during an eight year period certainly did not help the market either. Plus the price gouging at the pump only compounded the issue further. How is the average American supposed to pay all the bills when GAS cost ridiculous prices? My wife and I have felt the strain and we stay on top of things! I can only imagine how hard it has been for someone that wasn't able to make ends meet prior to 2007.

So that brings me to my reasons for why President elect Barack Obama was elected in the first place. Is he the right man for the job? Well, only time will tell with that. Right now, he's going to have a huge mess to clean up, that is for certain. But why did people vote for him in the first place? Was it his stance on healthcare reform? Was it his stance on the economy? Was it because he intends to help the middle class workers? Was it his foreign policy? I'm sure some of these issues entired the minds of many that did vote for him. But in my opinion there are two more prevailing reasons Barack Obama will be sworn in as the 44th President United States of America come January 20, 2009.

One is, and don't think I'm being racist, the "black" issue. Yes Barack is part white, black, Kenyon, Anglo-Saxon and maybe a hint of Jewish, but he's got dark skin people! African Americans have been waiting patiently for the chance to have a candidate with skin color more closely resembling their own so they could turn out in force and bring back the glory days of Martin Luther King, Jr. and usher in a "New Age." An age that defines African Americans as the majority and no longer the minority. That time finally came. They have been oppressed, enslaved, badgered, beaten and brutalized for hundreds of years (although in the last forty years I would dare say that is not true at all). But Obama has been none of those. He's lived a privileged life that has allowed him to get to where he is today. He is not a descendant of slaves and with biracial marriages and unions of all kinds sky rocketing, most African Americans have a lineage that does not wholly incorporate slaves anymore. When I saw all these people on the television after it was predicted Obama would win saying, "This is for the oppressed, for the struggles African Americans have had," I felt nauseated. This was an election where a man with moderately, dark complexion skin won, and that's it. He's no more black than I am, and I'm as white as they come! The real curious issue is when Obama's time is done and he is either voted out of office or fulfills two terms, will some of these same people who voted for him even vote in 2016? I'm not talking about the middle class Americans that want better healthcare and a better future for them and their children. I'm talking loads of people with "dark" complexions that would not have voted had a "black" man not been running for president. I suppose we'll just have to see on that one.

The second reason, and this is truly the more prominent reason why most Americans voted for Obama and not McCain (as outlined earlier in this blog), Americans are sick and tired of President Bush and all of the Republicans. That's plain and simple people! Just like with Clinton, people were tired of the Democrats and his regime and voted for a Republican, just enough to get him elected (that we know of). So after eight years of crap again, it's no surprise that no one wants anything to do with the Republican Party or anyone associated with it. John McCain is a good man and probably was a better choice than Obama, but he had no chance of winning after what the Bush Administration put this country through since 2001. As attractive as Sarah Palin is, that didn't help him either. The issues of war, the issues of gas prices and of course that rockin economy, that almost crashed a few months ago, pretty much sealed the fate of the Republicans.
So going into the booth on Tuesday, I already knew who was going to win. I just couldn't bring myself to vote for Obama because of that reason. Because for me, that would have been the only reason I would have voted for him. It was almost like Obama was an incumbent, a complete foregone conclusion he would be the next president.

You're next question is an obvious one, where do we go from here? Well, where we go is back to work, back to school, back to raising our children, helping our neighbors and doing what we know is the right thing to do just as we would with any other man that was, is or will be in the White House. As Jesus once said, "What has one man gained from worrying?" Basically he also said, "Do not worry about tomorrow, there are enough problems for today already." The song "Don't worry, be happy" comes to mind as well. I more or less wanted to post this blog in response to the bevy of status updates on both Facebook and Myspace from people who were so concerned with Obama winning the presidency. They would use words like "fear", "scared", "shaking"; they would say, "Pray for our country." Most of it, to me, was unnecessary jibberish.

Everyday I pray for my leaders because that is the right thing to do. I've prayed heavily for the last eight years and will continue to do so into the future. The power of prayer is unimaginable and unbelievable. So do not worry about whether Obama is the Antichrist (which he isn't, you're still here remember?), do not worry if a nuclear holocaust will ensue (it won't because none of "them" over seas want to die anymore than we do, at least not like that; the point is to still have countries to occupy and control, remember?), do not believe the world is going to end (we all know that's in 2012 anyway, thanks to the Mayans! Ha!), because what good does it really do you in the grand scheme of things? Honestly, if the world is headed in a direction towards Armageddon, there's not a whole lot any of us can do about it. So why be concerned? Just pray, live your life, have faith, and hope that all things will work out as they should with due process. Teach your children the values you want them to have, show the generations to come that it is important to promote truth, justice and the American way (thank you Superman). Let's just not ram it down other countries throats, ok?

I for one believe everything will work out fine. President Obama may end up being one of the best that has ever served. If he lives up to what he's been saying or dies trying, he will earn my respect. I believe he too is a good man and may do some real good for this country in the years to come. Like I've said before, we'll just have to wait and see. So when I go to bed at night or rise in the morning, I'll clasp my hands together and pray for all the things I hold dear. It's what I've always done and what I'll always do. You cannot go wrong when you ask for the Will of God to help guide you and the people around you. After all, everything always falls under God's Will, even when the answer is sometimes "no."

I love to write so therefore I....um, well you get the picture.

Greetings,

I know that sounds like a saying from a cheesy 1950's Sci-Fi film, but hey at least I'm being nice. I figured for my very first post online I would start by introducing myself. I am Jason R. Thrift. (raucous applause) You might ask, what am I doing on here? That's a very good question. The reason I am here is because I love to write. I've written stories of some kind or another since I was old enough to pick up a pencil and jot something down for creative writing time in elementary school.

It has always been a dream of mine to write stories that would entertain people and that they might even find interesting enough to buy. That's the hard part about writing, making it interesting! It's really easy to take a story you have seen and reword a few things just because you liked it, to entertain your classmates and present it in a manner that interests them. Truly, the real entertainment that they receive is the fact that you took the idea from somewhere else that they can relate to. But to generate your own idea, put it down in written word, edit it, re-write, edit again, cut, paste, copy, edit, punctuate, spell check, edit, delete this, correct that, edit, change comma splice, ignore fragment, edit, add commas, put in quotations, edit, and essentially come back out with a story that somewhat resembles what you started with, that's hard.

It's even harder when you do all of that and it still needs work! Uuuuuuuuggggggghhhhh! But, hey, such is the life of trying to be a writer. What makes things more interesting, this ain't my day job. I'm a nurse by trade and spend at least 40 hours a week doing that, so time is of the essence when it comes to writing. You have to make your time, at least that's what I do if it's important to me.

So what else about me do you want to know? Well, I guess for starters, what exactly did I write? I've written two novels, both published by Publish America (I know what some of you are thinking that know them, but it really hasn't been bad at all). One was a science fiction novel and the other horror fiction.

The science fiction novel is entitled The Civilization Loop. It is a story about how people from our present inadvertently trigger a disaster of biblical proportions in the year 2012. Because of this they must journey back in time to the only time they can, for reasons that are in the book, the year 10,000 B.C. There, they inhabit an island in the mid-Atlantic that becomes the cornerstone for the foundations of human civilization. A race of super advanced, ancient people that we know today as Atlantis. The curious thing about this story is not what they create in the past, but how the disaster unfolds and what they must do to correct it.

The horror ficiton novel is entitled Recreant: What are you afraid of? This story is simple, it's about a biological weapon that brings your fears literally to life. The story circles around two young people, a brother and sister, that must run a gauntlet down the eastern seaboard of the United States as the rest of the world unravels all around them. Unspeakable horrors, nightmares, ghoulish assailants and demonic spirits collide in this tale that brings urban legends, myths and ghost stories to life. But there's a twist at the end you want see coming, I guarantee that.

So those are my two books in a nutshell. How they got into a nutshell, I have no idea! But if you like the sound of them, just visit my web site I'll have posted and check them both out. As Ah-nold once said, "I'll be back."