I’ve been watching Ken Burn’s new documentary The War broadcast on PBS. Something I realized while watching it is just how different leadership is today compared to the days of WW2. The Greatest Generation was the greatest generation because they had some of the greatest leaders our country has ever seen.

In our country we have been lucky to have great leaders in times of crisis: George Washington during the Revolutionary War, Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War, FDR during WW2, JFK during the Cuban Missile Crisis. All four of those times were critical times when the country was in danger of annihilation. We have had our share of poor leadership too: LBJ and his administration during the Vietnam War, Richard Nixon (nuff said), Herbert Hoover was president during the Great Depression but did nothing to help the Country recover. Those are only a few but you get my point.

A couple of questions I have been asking lately are: Why are we still involved in a war in Iraq when the majority of the country is opposed to it? The last time I checked we were still a democracy, so why doesn’t our leadership listen and react to the majority? What are the differences between our country today and our country in WW2? The reason I ask this question is because we conquered most of Europe and Africa in three years but we have been in Iraq (a country the size of Texas) for over five years. Why?

I can answer all of those questions with one answer. The power of corporate America is now influencing our leadership and has more control over American policies than ever before. Look how much money is spent on the war in Iraq. Most of the money goes directly into the hands of the corporations that are involved with the war. It’s a gold mine and they don’t want the gravy train to end. Our leadership has been bought and paid for by corporate American so they pander to these mega-billionaire corporations like never before in American history.

In WW2 FDR turned every production facility into a manufacturer for war materials. He did not care what corporate American though about this idea because he was a true leader. He forced Americans at home to sacrifice and again did not care what Corporate America thought because he had the support of the majority.

Can you imagine how corporate America would respond if President Bush tried to force Americans to sacrifice for the war in Iraq or if he forced manufacturers (the few which are still a domestic operation) into manufacturing war materials? He doesn’t want Americans to sacrifice because he works for corporate America, who would suffer a hit in profits if the country would have to sacrifice. In fact, he told us we should shop more. Remember this was his recommendation of what Americans should do to contribute to the war against terrorism. Spending more money is not good for the average American citizen nor is it good to buy an enormous automobile. Spending more money on gas gives more money to the terrorists.

Leadership has been compromised by billionaire corporations; this is very evident by the way they are contributing to Hilary Clinton, the presidential front runner. I am actually hoping Obama gets the Presidential nomination because Hilary Clinton has the backing of corporate America so she will do nothing for middle class Americans. She is promising a national healthcare program in which we will be legally required to pay for it ourselves. So now we’ll be put in jail if we cannot afford healthcare? This sounds like a good plan for the insurance companies but not for middle class America.

I want to see a national healthcare plan funded by the richest corporations, which covers all Americans regardless of class. I also want to see the insurance companies and the “for profit” hospitals driven out. Corporate American should not earn a profit from the sick, it’s immoral.

I also want to see a plan to end our usage of oil. Not drill for more oil or manufacture oil using food which drives the price of food through the roof. I want to see a leader stand up to the oil companies and fund a program to end the internal combustion engine. We can do this, we do have the technology but we have no leadership capable to standing up to these corporations which have put their profits above both the security of our nation and the survival of our species.

It is just my opinion but if we could resurrect FDR or George Washington or Abraham Lincoln today and allow then to regain the Presidency without accepting millions of dollars in campaign money (which is how corporate America buys our leadership) then we would have resolutions which resolve these problems instead of creating more disasters.

Hilary Clinton will not be a good President because she has the backing of the majority of these corporations. They know she might win so they want to buy her now; it’s cheaper. But as bad of a president as she will be, she will still be much better than the idiot we have in there right now or the religious zealots from the Republicans. At least she knows the Earth is 4.5 billion years old, the Earth revolves around the Sun and knows humans never played with dinosaurs.

I will still cast my vote in favor of Obama. He has collected a lot of cash but it is mostly from rich individuals and NOT corporations. Of course there is still corporate money there but not as much as Hilary. He is a visionary and has the leadership qualities capable of turning the corner. But the only people which have a chance of getting elected President are the people corporate America funds. Let’s hope Obama can break this trend.

Before the Jena 6 case I believed the issue of racism was only being kept alive by black leaders like Al Sharpton seeking attention instead of truth. I don’t know what this town is like but anyplace which establishes a racial boundary within a school definitely has a problem. I can put myself in the shoes of those black students being told repeatedly they were not allowed and I can feel the rage within me starting to boil.

We have two different issues to discuss in the Jena 6 case. First of all, we have a racist community and secondly we have a criminal justice system which also needs an overhaul.

There are changes which need to me made in this town and others like it to help eliminate racism. Common sense tells us that having a racial boundary is not a good idea so the adults which allowed this behavior (I’m talking about the school administrators and any other adult working for the government which allowed this behavior) should all be fired. The new administrators should promote healing by encouraging all races to participate in a school function dedicated to eliminating all racial boundaries.

You will never be able to completely erase racism in towns like Jena in the parents of the children but you can train the teachers, the administrators, the police, and everyone else within the local government to instill a better attitude within the kids. Show the kids how ridiculous, irresponsible, and hurtful racism can be and then teach them how to be more accepting of everyone. This would be a good start to help in the healing.

The second issue which is the criminal justice system is more complicated. I don’t believe it to be a racial system but I do believe there is a bias according to the class of defendants. This bias is built into the system by giving the best lawyers to the state or the richer defendants. Poorer individuals often do not have a chance in proving their innocence because their lawyer is inadequate. Public defenders are often over-worked and unprepared for their case load and it reflects by the number of poorer people in jail.

We all know if O.J Simpson was a middle class man he would have easily been convicted. His trial was little to do with race but everything to do with money. If everyone could afford his defense team no one would be in jail. I’ve heard Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson complaining how the criminal justice system is a racist system but instead of pointing the finger at race they should be arguing to even the scales of justice for everyone regardless of pocketbook. They won’t do this because they have plenty of money and want that advantage if they need it.

I have thought for many hours about our justice system but I still don’t how it can be changed so it is fair for every American regardless of money. I can tell you that I have witnessed this system first hand with the conviction of a relative. I believe our criminal justice system is worse than death. With death at least there is peace at the end but being accused of a crime and watching the loss of everything is worse.

First of all, if you are accused of a crime how can you pay for a decent lawyer when you are put in jail and either cannot afford bail or do not even get bail? You cannot work in jail so you will lose your job and eventually all of your assets will be owned by the bank which held your mortgage or other creditors. It is very easy for a middle class family to lose everything even before the trial. There is no decent defense when you are penniless so now you are at the mercy of the over-worked and unprepared public defender. Realistically you are guilty at the arraignment because now you don’t have a chance in hell. Plus you lost everything so even if god does somehow intervene and you are found innocent at the trial you have no home anyway.

The Jena 6 has exposed isolated pockets of racism in our country but the inflated charges have nothing to do with race but everything to do with a corrupt system. Trumped up charges is evidence of how our criminal justice system is abandoning justice. If you need proof just turn on Court TV or MSNBC and you’ll see inflated charges tagged across all races. Even the battle between the prosecutor and the defense has nothing to do with guilt or innocence but everything to do with political gains or money. Even the judges sentencing have more to do with politics than with justice.

On the lighter side of justice (another observation):

Our criminal justice system is so terrible if a super hero like Spiderman did exist, he would be put in jail with a very long sentence. Prosecutors, police and judges do not like people playing god, they want exclusive rights to that function especially if they have aspirations of running for public office.