President Obama, You're not listening to us!

President Obama, listen up:

You won the election last November. You beat your competitors handily. Your followers were jubilant. But remember, we expect some type of follow through on your part. We haven't seen much to make us point with pride to you lately.

You speak about clean energy. And you include coal mined in a dirty way from mountain tops.

You speak of peace and winding down the war in Iraq. Meanwhile you go after the Taliban in Afghanistan, killing women and children, while Osama bin Laden sleeps well at night in the mountains hundreds of miles away. As a matter of fact, you're proposing a bigger defense budget in US history.

You create a stimulus plan to help the little guys. Who gets the most money? The big guys, major corporations, big banks, Wall Street firms who pay their bosses big bonuses.

You say you're for health care reform. Yet the two words "single payer" never passes your mouth. Maybe if we are lucky, we hear about a "public option." Creating two health care programs: One for the rich; one for the poor. How American can you get?

You expand the National Service program, whereby many of us can give a year of our life serving our country here in the USA. But there's no increase in stipend for those who serve, who must try to get by on about $750 a month, making the income of those we serve double and triple that of ours. And we can't even get a physical or blood lab tests or go to the dentist for tooth cleaning. You're creating many more positions, but no one can afford to serve, especially if they have children to raise.

During the campaign you tell us that you will close Guantanamo Prison Camp. It's still housing most of the same detainees as it did in January.

You tell us during the campaign that torturers all the way up the ladder will be punished. Now you have changed your mind, and won't even release some documents and pictures that would hasten what you said you would do.

You told us that when you became president returning caskets of fallen soldiers would be available to be photographed for Americans to see results of this war we continue to fight for oil in the Middle East. You changed your mind.

You said that your Administration would be open and transparent to the press. Ask the media today just how open the Obama Administration is to the press.

You gave us the impression that the government during your administration would not do the spying on its own people like the Bush Administration did. It continues.

You tell us that real change comes from the grassroots, from the bottom up, and that you would always listen to us. You send your new group OFA (Organizing for America, which used to be Obama for America)out into the towns and cities of this country, asking us to help pass your programs....the way you propose the programs be, not the way we propose. Bottom Up has become Top Down. Sorry that doesn't work for me, a former organizer myself.

Folks, we have our work cut out for us. True, Obama comes off looking good when he gets out and speaks for us in country and outside the country. But we need to pay attention to what he really says and what he really does and what he doesn't do or say. That's what just isn't right.

So President Obama, take some time in the next few weeks and go back over your old campaign speeches from last year. Remember when you spoke out against the war in Iraq when you ran for Senate in 2004. Remember how Russia got bogged down in Afghanistan. Remember how Israel has had a free ride for far too many years from our government. Remember who got you elected.

Then come back to us. We'll forgive you when you start acting like the Barack Obama we thought we really elected.

We are like those trees standing by the water. We won't be moved. We hope you come back and stand with us soon. Otherwise we'll be looking for leadership elsewhere.

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