My condolences in the loss of your brother. You said, "I regret every day of my life for ever calling the police." I hope that you can remember your intent in doing so and that you had no way of knowing at that time what the outcome would be. I hope you will find peace...and justice! It sounds as if this tragedy could have been avoided and that someone needs to be held accountable.

Please help me find 'Reproductive Issues,' or 'Women's Rights' among under the 'Issues' on Obama's web site. I would love to see any proof of his commitment to either.

"REPRODUCTIVE CHOICE

Supports a Woman’s Right to Choose:

Barack Obama understands that abortion is a divisive issue, and respects those who disagree with him. However, he has been a consistent champion of reproductive choice and will make preserving women’s rights under Roe v. Wade a priority as President. He opposes any constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court's decision in that case." http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/womenissues

Voting Record:

Sen. Obama received the following scores on NARAL Pro-Choice America's Congressional Record on Choice.

2007: 100 percent

2006: 100 percent

2005: 100 percent

http://www.prochoiceamerica.org/elections/statements/obama.html

Good enough for this feminist Obama supporter.

The fad is about to run its course. Rapidly approaching its expiration date and no longer the "cool thing" as happens to all things Internet.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-stein8feb08,0,3418234.column

You didn't actually read the entire article of your own link, did you? How embarrassing.

Joel Stein started out writing snarky commentary for TIME on the People page, and has since progressed to more serious journalism at times but he's at his best with this kind of semi-serious, semi-amusing fare.

"I have fallen victim. I was at an Obama rally in Las Vegas last month, hanging at the rope line afterward in the cold night desert air, just to see him up close, to make sure he was real. I'd never heard a politician talk so bluntly, calling U.S. immigration policy "scapegoating" and "demagoguery." I'd never had even a history teacher argue that our nation's history is a series of brave people changing others' minds when things were on the verge of collapse. I want the man to hope all over me."

Quoting his mother -- a Hillary supporter. ""We want what he represents," she said. "A young, idealistic person who really believes it. And he believes it. He believes he can change the world. I just don't think he can."

Of course he believes in himself, and why not? He's already done something extraordinary. A mixed-race boy, from humble beginnings ascending to Harvard Law Review, the U.S. Senate, a credible bid for the White House in opposition to an "inevitable", well-financed, political insider? Why not believe he can change the world?

I want to see him try. I don't think he's saying he can do it alone. His "We The People" appeal is one thing I find enormously attractive. I would rather see him try and fail than simply give in to the defeatism of, "I just don't think he can."

I don't want a president as CEO. I don't want business as usual. I don't want mere calculating competence. I want greatness! I want the NY Giants to defeat the perfect, best team that ever was, the New England Patriots. Oh, wait, that already happened. ;)

I see something in Obama that suggests to me that he may be capable of greatness. Sure this is a leap of faith. And of course, yes, he's just a man, a mainstream junior politician at that. Only time and opportunity will tell what he's capable of, and I'd like to see him get them -- now.

If Hillary is nominated, I will vote for her and root for her all the way, but right now for me, she is the more pedestrian choice.

But here's the one that blew my mind: On MLK day, he gave a speech at Ebenezer Baptist Church in which he admonished the predominantly African-American evangelical audience for leaving "our gay brothers and sisters" out in the cold. Do you have ANY IDEA what kind of homophobia gay and lesbian African-Americans have had to endure from churches like that? Do you have any idea of the kind of vitriol that spews on a weekly basis from pulpits like that? And he walks in there on *THE* day and gives a speech that just gratuitously mentions gays and lesbians in a positive light. Nobody asked him. He didn't have to bring it up at all. To do that, in my mind, showed more political courage than I have seen from any politician in a very long time.

I watched that entire speech on YouTube and totally agree! My jaw dropped when he slipped that in so matter-of-factly.

The media reported that as a major speech but as usual didn't really expound on what he had to say. And I think they probably completely missed the significance of those remarks to that audience.