Hi Deepak,
Voter turnout is crucial and I hope America will see the largest in it's history come Nov. 4th.
~ Kate

Amen to that Dr. Chopra.

peace

Hi Deepak,

If one is to believe international polls, if people in the world could vote, than 80% would vote for Obama.

So if that isn't a critical mass, I would not know what is :)

"Obama knows himself and the times he lives in"

Hereunder a few words I found on the Internet the other day (do not know anymore where) that seem appropriate to mention here because they are very to the point towards Barack Obama and what he stands for:

""Strong enough to be open
Successful enough to fail
Wise enough to say: “I don’t know”
Serious enough to laugh
Planned enough to be spontaneous
Controlled enough to be flexible
Knowledgeable enough to ask questions
Responsible enough to Play
Assured enough to be rejected
Industrious enough to relax
Leading enough to serve""

Love, Mieke

Hello Deepak and Everyone,

Deepak you write, "What's most important if you want to turn the page is confidence and forward vision. Obama knows himself and the times he lives in. His supporters should take their guidance from that. In response to Sarah Palin, the Democrats have exhibited an outpouring of nervousness and panic. They are anxious that the American public might be swayed by a naked appeal to their worst instincts, ignoring Bush's disastrous failures because a spunky Jesse Ventura in a dress proclaims that "I'm just like you." But when Obama declares "This election is about you," he's saying the same thing on a higher plane."

Deepak, obviously you have been deeply moved by Barak Obama, you always speak of him as some political wise elder and that we should take our guidance from that. I am sorry to inform you that the politics of our Nation and Washington DC are not a spiritual commune, far from it. We do not, I guess I should speak from my own little opinionated brain, and, not for others, want to be asked to take guidance from our politicians because his number one disciple in training(which you sound like when you speak of him) reassures us that our Partie's number one politician knows himself and his times, so, do not worry, have confidence and forward vision(which is souding a little like trust in god for the seculars.)

We are nervous with good reason I can assure you. Yes, we are concerned that Americans might be swayed, AGAIN. We, too, listen to Barak Obama and hear and see he is a man who is an intelligent politician who will try his best to serve all our Nation's people and who will honor our system of laws and respect our Nation's Constitution. He has our vote. We see he is a man who knows a lot but we also see a man who has a LOT to learn, and he will learn a LOT running this race for better or for worse.

I understand what he is saying when he says "this election is about you" and the other side understands what Palin is saying when she says "I am just like you." For better and for worse both statements are important and valid to both sides.

The reality, is, yeah, I want Barak Obama to win to break the hold of the republicans that have all but strangled our Nation's ability to grow and change..But I am not really worried and it is not because I trust in Barak Obama it is because I trust in life itself the good and the bad of it, the wisdom and the ignorance, the strangle hold and the freedom....I just use them all to my own advantage....if Barak loses, well, it is not the end of the world, if McCain wins we will be stuck a mile deep in bullsheet...for another four years...life goes on...until it doesn't. Higher, lower....or in between...it is all a wash in the end.

But, right now, I am involved in the race and it is tense, exciting, my side the (smart side, the good side, the BETTER side) has just got trumped by the "hockey mom/pit bull" "jesse ventura in a dress" (bad side, dumb side, less than even okay side) and my side's leader was so lay back in his response that we needed to give him a prod with the poker to see if he was still breathing!..and you so calmly remind me to be still and know.....Barak Obama....really, Deepak.

:))have to go and listen to all the "pig in lipstick" discussions on the talk shows now...that was a good one Barak! he has awoken:))))ruth

Dear Dr. Chopra and others,

I'm concerned about Barack Obama's affiliation with a Black Liberation Theology Church for over twenty years. This is a church that encourages blacks to separate themselves from the rest of American society.

How can Obama claim to be able to unite and reach across to all the people in the nation? Why would he feel comfortable in a church that teaches separation while claiming that it is moving society forward?

If Mitt Romney found it necessary to make a speech about his Mormon faith, it's about time that Obama explains Black Liberation Theology.

Is Black Liberation Theology one of hope or does it purposefully dredge up painful feelings of victimization? If that be the case, it would have been wiser for Obama to consider a church where it is fully understood that God is no respecter of color or gender.

Best Wishes,

"Betsy" S.

Aloha Betsy

Your not saying that the Black Americans haven't been oppressed. You know life isn't lmusical chairs where someone has to sit out. Obama went to the best school high school in Hawaii.. I bet he was the only Black American in that school at that time.

And what about the aids virus that was created for biological war and tested in Africa. And you as I as millions of Americans were vaccinated with the polio vaccine created off the kidneys of the monkeys.. Why do you think we have a cancer epidemic now, more than any time in history? And I am not even mentioning Katrina. Ah.. Palin's church believes you can pray someone gay straight.

It is time Americans grow up and take responsibility for their history and as Michele Obama says it is time to stop have a country run of fear. It's real simple, clean house, trust and have faith. love patty

Being non-american, I think that this sort of relgious nonsense is actually quite a good thing.

In a nutshell, the rest of the world is starting to look down on your culture as backwards and we want to distance ourselves from you. This is good, because despite American culture being grossly commercial and fake, you've been the worldwide cultural leader for some time.

By saying stuff like 'Invading Iraq was gods will' just makes the rest of us want to look elsewhere for something to embrace.

#7 God is smiling, stevenz! He's into cock-fighting, you know, although it was to the mammalian thread he introduced his smile ;)

What on Earth next? Some say a reversal in North and South poles. hmmmm.....

When George Bush was preparing to invade Iraq, the previous Pope (no longer living) advised Bush not to go for invasion. The Pope of course, was in constant touch with God and as we all know too well, Mr Bush talks to God also. Now Palin seems to be one of those who know what tasks God wants us to undertake. I wonder why God gives conflicting instructions to different individuals who all believe in Him. Seems to me He enjoys a little mischief!
Same thing - Rev Wright and Rev Falwell both know the real reasons why 9/11 happenned unlike ordinary secular beings.

I have analyzed God's energy system design. Gas pipe lines are not his design.

He suspended a nuclear reactor overhead which distributes energy equally for free, all over the planet, effortless to use.

As I brought to our attention before:

In looking at the energy systems in the human body, and there isn't centralized production of energy, there is decentralized production of energy. Each cell has it's own energy production as should each house on the planet. We do need storage just like the ATP molecule in the body.

It's too bad that some don't have me by their side to duel against the fictions. I have this really cool sword ~Excalibur~.

GM is burdened by disease care costs it runs into the tens of billions. This is not good for America. It is time to implement Universal Health, not Universal Disease Care.

I also know about their internal accounting practices, and hence the need for transparency.

The electric car was sent by God to GM. If they had the sense to recognize God's gift, they would be the world's number one auto company now, and would have single-handedly forced the other manufacturers to go electric or hybrid a decade ago.

It would have:
-made mega-billionaires of the top GM execsa and some of its engineers who held patents
-helped America significantly reduce our carbon footprint
-help end dependence on Big Oil, forced Big Oil and Big Coal to get serious about non-polluting energy source development
-possibly avoided oil wars
-preserved America's status as leaders in innovative technology

What more do you want from a divine gift handed to you on a silver platter?

God can lead the horse to water, apparently, but even God can't make a stupid horse do what's good for himself.

Maybe they should start thinking about it the other way around: what's good for God is good for GM.

Then maybe they would be open to being handed the next big thing.

Dear Dr. Chopra and others,

I will answer my own question, "Why are not the senators and representatives calling for an investigation into the operations of the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac groups?"

The heads of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have for years pursued a lobbying strategy to get lawmakers on their side. Both companies have poured money into the coffers of lawmakers sitting on government committees that regulate their industry: the House Financial Services Committee; the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee; or the Senate Finance Committee.

Senator Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, has received the most ($133,900 since 1989). Representative Paul Kanjorski (D-Pa) has received $65,500. He chairs the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Insurance and Government Sponsored Enterprises (both Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae are Government Sponsored Enterprises). Other top recipients are John Kerry ($111,000) and Barack Obama ($105,849).

It's all about who owes the most to whom that is the controlling factor in government operations. How can anyone promise to be a true representative of the will of the American People when in reality he cannot control the members of the Senate and Congress who for the most part put their career interests ahead of any consideration of just action for the people?

Best Wishes,

"Betsy" S.

hi, everyone,

(and thanks, again, Dr. Chopra, for bringing up a great question.)

to answer the initial question, no, I'm not worried about the religious beliefs of the candidates per se. on the other hand, I'm super-concerned about the political views of Sarah Palin (and John McFudd) regarding the separation of church and state and where religious views coincide with governance.

but America has always been schizophrenic on these kinds of things -- 'one nation, under God' in the Pledge of Allegiance (added in the 1890s, not written by the founders, sorry, Sarah Palin), 'in God we trust' on our currency -- yet the founders of this country understood deeply the dangers of any society governed by a predominant religion, and did their maximum best to prevent such themes interfering in our government, or a pluralistic society.

for a country allegedly open to all beliefs and spiritual/religious points of view, we're not doing very well.

witness the evangelical Christian outrage when a Hindu pundit gave an opening blessing to our Senate recently:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZ9To30Hz7A

or consider the bigoted comments some members of Congress made about Keith Ellison, the first Muslim Representative in American history, being sworn into office on his religious text, the Qu'ran, rather than a Bible.

it's hard to imagine now, but just a few generations ago, America was actually shocked by the idea of a Catholic president.

our politicians love to invoke God for all kinds of purposes (including political ones) -- but the increasingly inaccurate message that we're being fed from people who should know better is that America was founded on "Judeo-Christian beliefs and principles."

HUH? come again?

personally, if I have to judge someone -- would rather not judge at all, but it's an election year! -- I look at their actions, not their words.

how much are they actively living their religious or spiritual principles?

John McCain horsing around on his birthday in Arizona with George W. Bush while Hurricane Katrina was drowning people in New Orleans -- how does this show us a pair of "good Christian men" taking their national responsibility seriously?

Sarah Palin using her office to inflict punishment on a state trooper (her ex-brother-in-law) and firing the guy who wouldn't fire the trooper -- how does this show us a Christian lady living in accordance with principles like 'judge not lest ye be judged', or unconditional love and forgiveness?

when Barack Obama talks about everyone ELSE wanting change in this country, and humbly mentioning over and over again that this campaign is not about him -- and having chosen to do community organizing in Chicago rather than work at a corporate job -- to me, that's more of an embodiment of the principles laid out by Jesus Christ.

sorry to be long-winded. it's hard to be succinct on these kinds of themes.

bottom line: their religious views bother me less than their politicization of religion for the ambition of getting elected.

Alx