Ready or not, a change is going to come. The gaps that have previously separated the semi have’s from the ultimate have-not’s are closing, and Americans are being bonded by a sense of urgency to see immediate change. Our beloved country is drowning her members unable to swim in deep waters. Meanwhile the rest of us are barely treading water, and becoming increasingly tired doing so. The mantra of change Barack Obama is running his campaign on isn’t popular because it’s catchy or clever; we’ve clung to the slogan because we’ve been quietly mumbling it to ourselves at home, to our friends and family, for the past seven and a half years.

For much longer than reasonable, we’ve been pushed against a wall where the option to be all you can be is diminishing. [Sidebar: Just after I typed the last word of that sentence a commercial for the US Army came on. It’s almost as if I wrote it into fruition. I’m not a superstitious gal, but to be sure… A check with the exact amount of money I’ll need to pay off my bills and my graduate school tuition will be in my mailbox tomorrow.] Self-actualization is beginning to seem elusive, like a fantasy Maslow concocted to get one over on future psychology students.

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There is a drug in America that is legal, one that can both jack up your persuasive spirits and protect you against any doubts.

Laguna Beach, CA — I admit my thinking becomes intense at times. It’s not my fault. The coffee they serve here at Laguna Beach works wonders. Just the right formula…transforms a regular, stable guy like me into a psychic mess.

I come here to write my next novel. The café’s patrons are an eclectic community. Surfers hardly dressed, listening to iPod songs. Bikers stop here on their hog rides from beach to beach. College co-eds hang out here, wearing their pants below the top of their beautifully tanned bottoms clad in colorful thongs. Even the eternal mermaids come to sip the Nicaraguan Nectar, singing each to each.

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Sunday was more like Memorial Day. Father’s Day calls my father to mind, but WWII was one of the most defining events in his life.

Just a farm boy from Nebraska, hardly 18-years-old, he served in the Army’s 89th Division and shipped out for the third wave of landings onto the shores of Normandy.

He saw a lot of action. Carrying a high quality German camera, he took a lot of pictures of the war. None of them pretty.

When he returned home, he had a lot of shrapnel embedded in his flesh. Many years later, when he’d started a family, contributing to the baby boom, he had to go to the VA hospital several times to take some of those pieces of metal out from under his skin as they began to resurface.

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A man parks his car in the wrong spot, he pays a fine.

The Supreme Court appoints a privileged family’s son who manipulates an entire nation to wage a major war, and this in order to raise his failing first term ratings and to stay in office another term. Indulging his delusional, ideological ambitions, he causes disaster, the maiming and death of hundreds of thousands, and economic breakdown…

He walks away without even a tap on the wrist, without the slightest judicial review?

Is this the American way? Is our justice system functional?

Why the absence of any impeachment proceedings against Cheney and G. W. Bush? Not enough proof of misleading the public? Not enough proof of treason at a national scale? So many books published by insiders of the Bush administration now line bookstore shelves. A library full of books now details the misconduct, the intentional lies, and devious, criminal acts. Ample eye-witness testimonies from prominent public officials fill the bookstores. I need not include the long list of names already so well known.

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Institutionalized religion has almost always served as a political tool, but its jumbled dogmas befuddle our thinking. Democracy depends on rational thinking.

Judaism, Christianity, and Islam—share the same God and many of the same prophets give or take a holy man or two. We have to admit the benefits of religions. They have contributed to building civilization throughout history, spreading some level of moral consciousness and culture.

So, what’s all the fuss? Why do these portals to eternal life cause so much mayhem and destruction in the world today?

They’ve certainly served political purposes, unifying people under a similar belief and custom. The mega-religions—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam—that surround us today, still benefit folks in some ways. They console and reassure us in times of trouble. Faced with confusing situations, we flock to religion for answers although usually simple and superficial, if not altogether illusionary.

Take the Lakewood Church in Huston, Texas, where Joel Osteen lifts people’s spirits by preaching a cheery version of the Bible, not an easy feat considering the Old Testament’s blood’n guts.

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Senator Hillary Clinton cinched the West Virginia Primary on Tuesday and vowed to fight on. The New York senator received about two thirds of the vote (67%) to Obama’s 26%. Her win was predictable based on the state’s large population of Clinton’s base supporters – rural, small town residents - but the most important part of the primary was Senator Clinton’s victory speech in which Obama supporters were hopeful that she would drop out. Instead she thanked West Virginia for an “overwhelming vote of confidence” and audible boos were heard from the audience at the mention of people who want her to give up. Her speech means the battle for the nomination is still going to continue despite calls for Clinton to drop out and growing criticism she is hurting the Democratic Party.

Senator Obama, the front runner of the Democratic nomination, gave a speech earlier in Missouri but stayed away from an evening speech following the primary results. Clinton is hoping the landslide victory is enough to stop Obama’s momentum but the fight will be tough. Senator Clinton’s pledge to continue campaigning means that the Democratic nominee will not be secured until at least the end of the month. While many have already deemed Obama the nominee, the Democratic Party faces a large split between the two candidates which must be resolved before the general election in November.

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FILM

• American Graffiti | Monday, May 12, 2008 | 7:30 p.m. | $11-14 | Arclight Sherman Oaks - Map | The weekend doesn’t have to end on Monday. Head on over to the Arclight Sherman Oaks to watch one of George Lucas’ first classic pre-Star Wars films, American Graffiti, starring Ron Howard and Harrison Ford.

ART

• Deharavath Art Show | Monday, May 12 through Wednesday, May 14, 2008 | Free | GR2 - Map | It’s the last 3 days to catch this group art show featuring the work of Yukinori Dehara, David Horvath and Sun-Min Kim.While Dehara’s work has garnered a cult of collectors around the world, Horvath and Kim are best known for creating UglyDolls, the indie plush dolls that have gained a rabid worldwide following. Horvath and Kim will be making one-0f-a-kind framed prints, drawings, paintings and handmade plush surprises.

FOOD AND DRINK

• Entertaining with Wine | Thursday, May 15, 2008 | 6 p.m. | $25 reservation fee (which will be redeemed for a $25 Bloomingdale’s gift card at the event) | Bloomingdale’s Home Store - Map | St. Francis Winery presents “Savvy Summer Style…Entertaining with Wine. Celebrity Event Styling Guru Wendy Creed will share her A-list event secrets and Wine Expert Chris Silva will guide you through an extensive selection of Sonoma Country wines. While enjoying tips and tricks, sample signature dishes from original menus and sip on St. Francis wines. To RSVP, call 714-824-4562

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Voters are concerned about the economy. Oh…and the war in Iraq. Both are connected at the hip.

With G.W. Bush’s lisping and slurring, I imagine him sitting on his favorite barstool, nursing from a glass, and talking to the bartender how someday he’d outdo his father. John McCain sits next to him, toasting and soaking up all W’s wisdom. The bartender only half listens to W’s drivel while turning an ear to the football score on the TV.

With similar interest, many Americans listened to his final State of the Union speech.

To change his view on Iraq, W would have to acknowledge it as a mistake. An error like this has so far cost the US well over 4,000 soldiers—W’s Admin counts war casualties by distorted criteria—as well as several hundred thousand innocent civilian lives.

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I sat down with Michael Levine, founder of the public relations firm Levine Communications, to get some PR advice for the 2008 elections. Hollywood stars balance fame and fortune but not without the help of good pr that can cover up bad press and promote a star’s best qualities. The world of Hollywood glam and appeal seems to heavily mirror that of the modern political campaign: advertisement and a candidate’s character have a large impact on electability.

On the current Democratic nomination race, Levine doesn’t think the race is dragging on too long perhaps because he knows things can change at any minute in such a volatile industry. The Democrats have time to recover before November as long as there are no major incidents such as the recent Reverend Wright factor. Levine does note that an important factor in the elections will be experience which McCain and Clinton rely heavily on to boost support.

But from an outside public relations perspective he believes the experience factor will actually favor Senator Barack Obama and not the others.

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Who’s to say which religion is better than the next? Most often a person ends up following a particular religion by location or by birth.

What are the chances that someone growing up in Afghanistan would attend a synagogue rather than a mosque? Would someone raised in Peru wager his chips for eternal life with anything but the Catholic Church?

In America it’s often considered shameful to criticize religion. We’re supposed to accept religions without question. Who would dare publicly highlight the flaws in Judaism? Many cringe at the dreadful risk of being called anti-Semitic even when discussing the role of AIPAC.

Who dares to criticize Evangelicals or Catholics? Mormons? What about those faithful to the Book of Mormon which Angel Moroni handed down to Joseph Smith as a revelation in 1830?

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Fear drives people to dogma, dogma drives people to stop thinking, both deliver people to leaders who promise to protect and to do good but will most likely do neither.

“Abortion is the most important issue on the table.” Fred explains to his group. He is a Bible study class leader at a local Catholic church.

“But, Fred,” I interject, “you know this war in Iraq is killing thousands of people, innocent civilians and U.S. soldiers.”

“We must stomp out abortion and our President Bush – well, he’s pro-life.” Fred goes on. “And John McCain, he’s picking up the torch. He’s carrying the only light in these dark days. God’s only beacon.”

“But Fred,” I repeat, “all those people in the war, they’re losing their lives. And abortion’s been around since before King Tut. The Bible doesn’t say a word about it, talks about the value of life. And, Jesus, wasn’t he the Prince of Peace?”

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Yes She Can. Senator Hillary Clinton managed to get a much needed victory in Pennsylvania yesterday against Senator Barack Obama. Victory meant she needed to win by at least 8%, and she managed to pull 55% of the vote to Obama’s 45%. Clinton’s base supporters make up a large portion of the state’s population where blue collar voters gave Clinton the win. Another major factor was the large number of Catholics in Pennsylvania who favored Clinton by 70%. Senator Clinton was favored among female and older voters while Senator Obama remained stronger with younger and new voters. Obama outspent Clinton in the state by three times as much and his efforts do show in the polls because there were high numbers of newly registered voters that voted in his favor.

So how do the results from yesterday’s primary change the race to the nomination? They don’t. Senator Clinton is claiming she will fight and she can win. Barack Obama is claiming he is still victorious overall and will win in November. The same arguments both candidates previously made are still valid and will continue as they move ahead to Indiana and North Carolina.

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