The Times Observer Has Moved . . .

The Times Observer has moved to a new address, with a new look. It is no longer hosted by Blogger, but find out the reasons why.

The new address is at:

www.thetimesobserver.com

Who’s Killing The Newspapers?

With many newspaper companies closing their doors, it makes one wonder what will happen to our society.

Because it is newspapers that normally make the national news because of their investigations. Most local TV news stations, or even CNN, do not bother with investigative journalism much. They do reaction coverage of events as they unfold, but it’s usually the newspaper reporter who digs in the mud to uncover corruption.

And while many newspapers are finding a home on the Internet, for many it has become too little, too late to do so. Many newspapers did not embrace the power of the Web and now they are paying a heavy price for it.

But the Web cannot be the sole murderer of your friendly, neighborhood newspaper. A bigger co-conspirator is society itself. Many people polled from different surveys claim that they do not have the “time” to pick up a newspaper and would not care if their local daily or weekly folds.

It’s interesting that for a society that does not have “time” to pick up a newspaper or just log onto their local newspaper’s Web site that many people do find the time to text-message their friends, download some new songs or engrossed themselves with mind-numbing reality TV.

And while the Web is an excellent tool for newspapers, sadly, it does not have that “in-your-face” presence that newspapers have when they are found in your local Wawa or on the street corners.

So, when the last newspaper publishes and corruption from politicians goes unnoticed but its effects are felt, just remember that it was society that put the American watchdog to sleep.

Where have I been?

Sadly, I have been too busy with work, family and being sick to update The Times Observer as much as I want.

However, I have also been very busy with it at the same time. I am recreating The Times Observer and it will find a new home in the near future.

Yes, I am being very cryptic, but you will soon find out. So, please keep visiting because I will make my final announcement on here as to where you can find the new Times Observer.

How He Got Here

Many will say that it took too long for a minority to become the president of the United States of America. But it’s better late than never, as others will say.

President-Elect Barack Obama will become the first bi-racial black and white man to hold the office of Commander-in-Chief.

Many black, and even white, Americans suffered from the racial injustices of evil men of both colors. Many black Americans dared to dream of a better life and some, like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., paid with their lives for having such dreams of freedom.

And in so many ways, Obama is the embodiment of that dream of Dr. King’s. His mother was white and his father was black and many Americans voted for him because of his character. Dr. King would have been so proud.

And now, Obama is one of the few Americans who has the power to become a racial bridge of equality and will hopefully establish a more color-blinded society. A growing society that will live up to the dream that Dr. King envision:

That people are judged not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.

More Freedoms Needed
For Independent Voters

There is a growing minority in our country and it’s not a racial one, but a political one.

This political minority believes in the actual plans that politicians have for our country and have little to no interest for partisan loyalties and near-propaganda speeches. In fact, this minority do not even belong to a political party.

These people are independents and many of them have the true American spirit, more so than Republicans or Democrats who blindly tow their party line. Independent voters want to have their voices be as equal as the two major parties.

But sadly, independent voters are shunt away by Republicans and Democrats, both the elected leaders and the voters themselves. Many independents in many states in this past presidential race could not participate in the election like their Democratic and Republican counterparts.

Many of them were not allowed to vote in the primary elections, robbing them of their rights to express their opinions and beliefs by voting.

However, both Democratic and Republican leaders are all too eager to use independent voters -- swing voters -- to help them win elections.

But there are many organizations and groups who fight for independent voter rights. They work hard to get legislation passed so independents can enjoy the same freedoms as Republican and Democratic voters.

For example, the Committee for a Unified Independent Party, Inc. works tirelessly to have politicians to commit themselves to work on behalf of independent voters. In fact, the organization has a free conference on Sunday, Jan. 25 in New York, where many issues will be discussed. More information can be found here.

It’s important that all American voters, despite their leanings, have an equal voice in our system of government. If we do not grant these voters the same rights as others have enjoyed, than we would be guilty of discriminating against a political minority. And that is truly un-American.

The Calls We Didn’t Hear Regarding
Israel’s Battle Against Hamas

For the last few days we have heard in the news of the U.S., the U.N. and even foreign leaders calling for a truce between Israel and the terrorist group Hamas.

But why haven’t we heard more calls from these groups to support Israel in destroying Hamas? Why haven’t we heard from President Bush, who has been a huge supporter of erasing terrorist organizations, that the U.S. will be donating weapons or supplies to Israel in their fight against Hamas, as well as sending humanitarian aid to the Palestinians?

Hamas is allegedly a major political party and has a lot of seats in the Palestinian National Authority’s elected legislative council. But many of its members are still terrorists who are bent on destroying Israel and her people.

In fact, if Hamas was any type of decent political party, they would not have broken the truce that started this latest round of chaos.

Dealing with terrorists like Hamas only results in more bloodshed. They cannot be reasoned with or trusted.

And of course Israel will act aggressively against them. If someone indiscriminately fires rockets into Israeli cities or digging infiltration tunnels to send suicide bombers into Israel, then Israel is justified in its actions.

However, some restraint should be shown towards the innocent Palestinian people, even though it seems doubtful that they will condemn Hamas for starting the aggression.

But the world needs to realize that Hamas is not serious about a truce, cease-fires or even peace talks.

It is time that the world starts putting the blame on Hamas and starts finding real solutions in stopping them from constantly breaking the brief relieve between battles that Israel and the Palestinians infrequently enjoy.

What 2008 Meant To Us

It has certainly been an unforgettable year. America saw its economy slowly sink to near depression levels, but America was also able to look beyond a person's skin color and elect the first bi-racial black man to president of the United States.

The U.S. Presidential Election of '08 highlighted for the first time in recent history that a woman was one of the strongest candidates to possibly enter the White House as the first female president. And while Hillary Clinton did not win the title of Commander-and-Chief, Barack Obama did.

Obama will become the nation's first half-black, half-white president. He is truly a minority among minorities. For a variety of reasons why he was elected, Obama won in a land-slide victory and with that, issuing new hope to a struggling economy and a world caught in the grip of deadly terrorists.

But 2008 also saw the American economy, as well as the world's, slowly decaying into financial ruin. Some people who had wonderful, enterprising jobs are now finding it hard to find a new one, despite their impressive resumes. Many are so desperate for work, they are handing their resumes to strangers in the streets.

But how will 2009 treat us? Well it be the final stroke of economical doom for this country or will it cradle us until the time is right to breathe new life into the nation's financial world?

With wise decisions and fiscal responsibility by all, only time will tell.

India’s Attacks Reminds
Us Of Terror War

As India is in a literal grip of horror, their living nightmare should be a reminder to us all that we are still at war with terrorists.

Just because the death toll is currently not as high as it was on Sept. 11 or the destruction is not as devastating, this heinous act by alleged extremist Muslim terrorists should not be brushed aside.

While these coordinated attacks are centered on areas populated by foreign tourists, especially Americans, according to CNN, it is a grim reminder that no one is safe from these heathens.

President-Elect Barack Obama must make the terrorist threat his highest priority, in addition to a crippling economy. Just because America has been bless with no further grand terror attacks on its soil does not mean that the threat has quietly gone away. That type of ignorance can be very deadly.

Increased military action against terrorists and those who harbor or aid them and better communications and open dialogue with some extremist Islamic governments, but are seeking peaceful relationships with the West, are just some of the methods that can be used to combat the danger that has gripped the world.

Tomorrow, many Americans will celebrate Thanksgiving and be grateful for what they have in their lives. Let our prayers also be with those suffering in India and pray for a peaceful resolution.