From William, the Ph.D

Change - What Change?


My name is Joe Porter. I live in Champaign , Illinois . I'm 46
years old, a born-again Christian, a husband, a father, a small
business owner, a veteran, and a homeowner. I don't consider myself
to be either conservative or liberal, and I vote for the person, not
Republican or Democrat. I don't believe there are 'two Americas ' -
but that every person in this country can be whom ever and what ever
they want to be if they'll just work to get there - and nowhere else
on earth can they find such opportunities. I believe our government
should help those who are legitimately downtrodden, and should
always put t he interests of America first.

The purpose of this message is that I'm concerned about the future
of this great nation. I'm worried that the silent majority of
honest, hard-working, tax-paying people in this country have been
passive for too long. Most folks I know choose not to involve
themselves in politics. They go about their daily lives, paying
their bills, raising their kids, and doing what they can to maintain
the good life. They vote and consider doing so to be a sacred trust.
They shake their heads at the political pundits and so-
called 'news', thinking that what they hear is always spun by whom
ever is reporting it. They can't understand how elected officials
can regularly violate the public trust with pork barrel spending.
They don't want government handouts. They want the government to
protect them, not raise their taxes for more government programs.

I've never found a candidate in any election with whom I agreed on
everything. So when I step into that voting booth, I always try to
look at the big picture and cast my vote for the man or woman who is
best qualified for the job. I've hired a lot of people in my
lifetime, and essentially that's what an election is a hiring
process. Who has the credentials? Whom do I want working for me?
Whom can I trust to do the job right?

I'm concerned that a growing number of voters in this country
simply don't get it. They are caught up in a fervor they can't
explain, and calling it 'change'.

'Change what? ' , I ask.

'Well, we're going to change America' , they say.

'In what way? ', I query.

'We want someone new and fresh in the White House ', they exclaim.

'So, someone who's not a politician?' , I press.

'Uh, well, no, we just want a lot of stuff changed, so we're voting
for Obama', they state.

'So the current system, the system of freedom and democracy that
has enabled a man to grow up in this great country, get a fine
education, raise incredible amounts of money and dominate the news
and win his party's nomination for the White House - that system's
all wrong?'

'No, no, that part of the system's okay - we just need a lot of
change.'

And so it goes. 'Change we can believe in.' Quite frankly, I don't
believe that vague proclamations of change hold any promise for me.
In recent months, I've been asking virtually everyone I encounter
how they're voting. I live in Illinois , so most folks tell me
they're voting for Barack Obama. But no one can really tell me why -
only that he's going to change a lot of stuff. Change, change,
change. I have yet to find one single person who can tell me
distinctly and convincingly why this man is qualified to be
President and Commander-in-Chief of the most powerful nation on
earth - other than the fact that he claims he's going to implement a
lot of change.

We've all seen the emails about Obama's genealogy, his upbringing,
his Muslim background, and his church affiliations. Let's ignore
this for a moment. Put it all aside then ask yourself, what
qualifies this man to be my president? That he's a brilliant orator
and talks about change?

CHANGE WHAT?

Friends, I'll be forthright with you - I believe the American
voters who are supporting Barack Obama don't have a clue what
they're doing, as evidenced by the fact that not one of them - NOT
ONE of them I've spoken to can spell out his qualifications.Not even
the most liberal media can explain why he should be elected.

Political experience? Negligible. Foreign relations? Non-existent.
Achievements? Name one. Someone who wants to unite the country?
If you haven't read his wife's thesis from Princeton , look it up
on the web. This is who's lining up to be our next First Lady? The
only thing I can glean from Obama's constant harping about change is
that we're in for a lot of new taxes.

For me, the choice is clear. I've looked carefully at the two
leading applicants for the job, and I've made my choice.

Here's a question - where were you five and a half years ago?
Around Christmas, 2002. You've had five or six birthdays in that
time. My son has grown from a sixth grade child to a high school
graduate. Five and a half years is a good chunk of time. About
2,000 days. 2,000 nights of sleep. 6, 000 meals, give or take.

John McCain spent that amount of time, from 1967 to 1973, in a
North Vietnamese prisoner-of-war camp. When offered early release,
he refused it. He considered this offer to be a public relations
stunt by his captors, and insisted that those held longer than he
should be released first. Did you get that part? He was offered his
freedom, and he turned it down. A regimen of beatings and torture
began.

Do you possess such strength of character? Locked in a filthy cell
in a foreign country, would you turn down your own freedom in favor
of your fellow man? I submit that's a quality of character that is
rarely found, and for me, this singular act defines John McCain.

Unlike several presidential candidates in recent years whose
military service is questionable or non-existent, you will not find
anyone to denigrate the integrity and moral courage of this man. A
graduate of Annapolis , during his Naval service he received the
Silver Star, Bronze Star, Purple Heart and Distinguished Flying
Cross. His own son is now serving in the Marine Corps in Iraq .

Barack Obama is fond of saying 'We honor John McCain's
service...BUT...', which to me is condescending and offensive -
because what I hear is, 'Let's forget this man's sacrifice for his
country and his proven leadership abilities, and talk some more
about change.'

I don't agree with John McCain on everything - but I am utterly
convinced that he is qualified to be our next President, and I trust
him to do what's right. (ed. note: Can any Democrat say this about
Obama?) I know in my heart that he has the best interests of our
country in mind. He doesn't simply want to be President - he wants
to lead America , and there's a huge difference. Factually, there
is simply no comparison between the two candidates. A man of
questionable background and motives who prattles on about change
can't hold a candle to a man who has devoted his life in public
service to this nation, retiring! from t he Navy in
1981 and elected to the Senate in 1982.

Perhaps Obama's supporters are taking a stance between old and
new. Maybe they don't care about McCain's service or his strength
of character, or his unblemished qualifications to be President.
Maybe 'likeability' is a higher priority for them than 'trust'.
Being a prisoner ofwar is not what qualifies John McCain to be
President of the United States of America - but his demonstrated
leadership certainly DOES.

Dear friends, it is time for us to stand. It is time for thinking
Americans to say, 'Enough.' It is time for people of all parties to
stop following the party line. It is time for anyone who wants to
keep America first, who wants the right man leading their nation,
to start a dialogue with all their friends and neighbors and ask who
they're voting for, and why.

There's a lot of evil in this world. That should be readily
apparent to all of us by now. And when faced with that evil as we
are now, I want a man who knows the cost of war on his troops and on
his citizens. I want a man who puts my family's interests before
any foreign country.

I want a President who's qualified to lead.

I want my country back, and I'm voting for John McCain.

It is not a black and white issue, it is a right or wrong issue.

Please pass this on to all your thoughtful friends.

************************************************************
William D. Brown, Ph.D., P.E.
Distinguished Professor Emeritus
Department of Electrical Engineering

3217 Bell Engineering Center
University of Arkansas
Fayetteville, AR 72701