Harjap Singh Aujla writes from New Jersey

THREE months ago no body could predict that an African American can be elected President of the United States of America. But it is not a dream anymore; it is a reality on 4th of November 2008. Barack Obama is the new president of this nation. Every one was thinking that change comes the hard way in America. Yes it has come the hard way. This nation had to go through an economic meltdown and a crisis of confidence in the government and the financial regime to make this upheaval possible. All along it appeared impossible that an African American can occupy the throne of the Presidency of America.

Indeed Barack Obama is a giant killer. In the race for the nomination of the Democratic Party for the presidency of this nation, he staged a huge upset by defeating the Democratic front runner Hillary Clinton in the primaries. At that time there were rumors that a lot of Republican sympathizers, who were registered voters as independents, switched their loyalties to Democratic Party in order to vote for Barack Obama against the seemingly invincible candidate Hillary Clinton. If there is a truth in this word of mouth, then those very voters must be cursing their stars. Here I want to mention an old Punjabi saying that a cat taught the tricks of killing other animals to a tiger cub, but when the cub grew up he decided to kill the cat itself. If some of the Republican sympathizers wanted to be shrewd enough to get the democratic nomination for an African American for presidency, considering the fact that it will be easier to defeat a representative of 12% American Americans, than to confront the representative of 52% women, then they must be licking their wounds today.

The super delegates of the Democratic Party had their own compulsions. The African Americans have always been their most loyal voters. None of the super delegates can expect to win an elected seat without the active support of the African American community. So it was a political compulsion for most of them to support the candidature of Barack Obama. The magnitude of today’s landslide victory of Barack Obama dwarfs every excuse offered for his nomination. He amply deserved his nomination and he has earned his victory.

The pollsters were saying that at least two out of four states Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida and Virginia are crucial for his victory. He needed to win at least two of those. In the final count he carried all those. In fact Hillary Clinton had defeated Barack Obama in all the democratic leaning states during the primary season. But in this election he ended up carrying all the Hillary Clinton stronghold states, which is a remarkable achievement by any standards. He has exhibited tremendous power of persuasion. Not only he managed President Clinton’s whole hearted support, he took along entire machinery of his party.

On the Eastern sea-board of the United States, Barack Obama carried all the states with the exception of Georgia and South Carolina. Surprisingly he carried Florida, though with a very thin margin and North Carolina. From Virginia to the North he won every state including the New England states. Out of the largest states, only Texas did not fall into his kitty. He carried the states on both coasts and the Northern states of the Rust Belt. Let us face the fact that this would not have happened without a bad economy. Wise people rightly say, all is well that ends well.

During the triumphant Chicago rally on Barack Obama’s historic victory, some very emotional scenes were witnessed. Famous Reverend Jesse Jackson, who unsuccessfully tried to get Democratic nomination nearly three decades ago, was in tears of joy. A lot of old people, who suffered racial segregation during their younger days, wanted to see such a day in their life time, when a man from the former slave community would rule this nation. That day has finally arrived. It is about time for all Americans to celebrate this historic occasion.

Obama had long and wide coattails also. His party won at least 56 seats out of 100 in the U.S. Senate. Although only five percentage points separate him from his trounced opponent John McCain, but in the electoral collage he has registered a landslide victory by winning at least 338 Electoral College votes out of 538. Democrats have made substantial gains in the House of Representatives too; they will have ten more seats. That will make going easy for him in the U.S. Parliament. Such things rarely happen and we are witness to this upheaval.

For the people hailing from other countries of the globe, America used to be a strange society. The word liberal was hated and another word conservative was glorified. When Ronald Reagan defeated Jimmy Carter, he branded him a liberal. In this election Barack Obama was called socialist and he was often branded liberal, but he won, which is a great change from the past.

Barrack Obama was very clear in his message from day one. He did not mince words. He told America that drastic belt tightening measures are required. He was clear that there will be more taxes on the wealthy and the middle class will have to be given some tax relief. The rightists described him as a man who was out and out to redistribute the wealth of this nation. A few months ago redistribution of wealth was a dreaded word, but this time around the people embraced his concept even if it meant effective redistribution of wealth. It now appears that the Americans are becoming fiscally more realistic. They no longer believe in trickle down economics. They now want benefits directly going to those who are cash starved and in real need. This is Amartya Sen brand of economics, which Americans are now accepting, though still reluctantly. Obama wants health care coverage for all Americans, irrespective of status or class of the person. This is a difficult goal to achieve, but the people seem willing to accept it too.

harjapaujla@gmail.com

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Oil prices drop – Good for consumers – Bad for economy

Khushwant Toor

OIL prices have fallen down by almost 60% since attaining the peak. Last Thursday, it feel to $55 a barrel. In Canada, last month petrol was $1.38 a litter at some places, today it is around $83.5 a litter. For consumers, it is a relief at the pumps however; the economists predict that the falling oil prices will push the world economy further deep in recession.

At an emergency meeting held last month, members of Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) agreed to reduce their output, as of Nov. 1, to slowdown the price drop. Several OPEC members, including Algeria, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait have signaled in recent days that they have begun cutting down their production to control oil price slide.

Asia would be the hardest hit if oil production is slowed down as various reports suggested that Saudi Arabia has warned some Asian customers that to cut exports by 5 percent next month.

Not only the excessive oil production, but consumer behaviour at pumps, limiting themselves to buy less gas, is also effecting the oil markets. Data form the U.S. Energy Department shows that after gasoline prices soared above $4 a gallon earlier this year, oil demand in the United States dropped by 1.8 million barrels a day, or 8 percent, to 19.3 million barrels a day in August, compared with the same period a year ago. Since August of this year refineries have been running at their slowest pace in 21 years. At the same time, inventories of crude oil kept building at a steady pace, meaning there was more oil in the market than needed.

With the latest price drops in crude trading becoming major factor for economic hardships around the world, the International Monetary Fund recently warned that the world is faced with the prospect of simultaneous recession in the United States, Europe and Japan, for the first time in more than 60 years. The Chinese economy, main engine of growth in oil demand, is also slowing down.

It is expected that global demand of oil will drop this year, which would be the first annual decline since 1983. However, as the west and the automakers around the world are concentrating to make alternate fuel vehicles such as electric powered vehicles it would be interesting to see if ever the oil prices will spring up.

Economists predict that the slow down in the oil industry will prove to have dire consequences to economies around the world. As the demand and production drops companies will have to lay off employees which will shoot up the job loss rate. Already in Alberta, Canada the oil companies have halted or postponed their oil extraction projects in wake of the steep oil price drop.

What remains to be seen is how far it will take to rectify the overall global market. It would be a while, as long as a full one year, before the situation may improve, is what some experts are now predicting.

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Guru’s words reign supreme at 29th Sikh parade in Yuba City

Dr Amrik Singh writes from Sacramento

29th Sikh Parade in Yuba City on November 2, 2008 was a special occasion this year. Global Celebrations linked with 300 years of enthroning Guru Granth Sahib as the spiritual Head of Sikhs has attracted attention of the world community. Guru Granth Sahib’s universal message of peace is looked upon as one of the possibilities of enshrining world peace.

An estimated 65- 70 thousand people joined the parade. Sikhs came from as far as Washington, DC, Los Angeles, Espanola, New Mexico, Vancouver, Canada to honor their Guru’s message to believe in One God, Work Hard, Share with Others, and universal brother and sisterhood of mankind. Besides Sikhs, people from almost all faiths joined in the parade and expressed their thankfulness for a unique experience.

Sikh temples from all over USA, Sikh organizations, Sikh Student Associations, Cultural Clubs and Business Organization had their floats decked with multi-colored backgrounds with motifs of Guru’s message, Religious music played adding to the dreamlike atmosphere of the parade. T.V. crews, journalists of ethnic and American media and artist were seen busy in covering 29th Sikh Parade.

Over the years, the Sikh Parade has blended with diverse cultures of Sutter County. Despite the traffic congestion on the streets, Americans living in the surrounding areas consider it as a most welcoming event. It provides an opportunity to them and their families not only to savor a variety of ethnic foods but also adds to the color of their life.

The excitement of the younger generations in preparing, decorating and equipping their floats gives them positive energy to stay away from drugs, crimes and gang involvement. They consider themselves a part of the community that advocates recognizing other faiths, groups and belief systems.

The Sikh Parade also increases interaction of the community with elected officials, lawmakers and law enforcement. It is a great challenge for the Sutter County to make arrangements for the parade. Lt. Governor John Garamendi joined the congregation on Saturday, November 1, 2008 and watched a movie about the universal message of Guru Granth Sahib. Three more movies were screened to make connection with the Sikh history. One such movie focused on the tragic life of Maharaja Dalip Singh who suffered unbearable miseries at the hands of the British. Sherriff department had made elaborate arrangements to maintain order for the free flow of traffic on the streets.

The writer talked with a number of people to know about their experiences who came for the parade for the first time. Robert, Garry, Pete and Pam came all the way from Sacramento. Though they did not know anything about the actual purpose of the Sikh Parade, they however figured out it was for peace. On being informed about Guru Granth Sahib’s uniqueness, one of them suggested some written information would have been very helpful for the first timers like him. Students of Punjabi course at Sacramento State University and Sacramento City College at Davis while enjoying the Parade were able to read many signs in Gurmukhi and were so happy to experience what they were learning in the classroom. Katie though lives in Yuba city for the last four years, but came for the first time on the suggestion of a certain friend. She said it was so ennobling for her and her children that she would not miss any parade in the future.

A special studio on behalf of Comcast Cable News Network was set up at the premises of Professor Hari Singh Everest’s on Tierra Buena Rd. Dr. Jasbir Singh Kang of Sikh American Heritage held special interviews for Central Valley Comcast. Dr. Onkar Singh Bindra, a former Professor and Alumni of UC Berkeley distributed information about the approval a new course “Sikh American and Globalization” at California State University Sacramento. TV channel 8 will telecast the coverage of the Parade on November 23, 2008 at 4 PM and November 29 at 3 PM. It is also available on Online www.mykbtv.com . Newly founded JUS Punjabi TV on Dish Network Channel 809 covered live all proceedings of the 29th Sikh Parade.

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Dear President Bush ...

A letter from Frank Paul Tarney a.k.a. Fatehpal Singh Tarney

George W. Bush

President of the United States

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20500, U.S.A.

November 12, 2008

Dear President Bush,

I refer to this letter as "the old college try!" I know that someone will read it and I hope it will be a person of conscience who will, in turn, pass it on to someone else, and that it will eventually find its way to your desk.

I am a decorated, combat-wounded, Vietnam War veteran. I have been a registered Republican all my adult life. There have been times, under both Republican and Democratic leadership, that I have had reservations about certain policies and decisions of my government.

However, I have never been ashamed of my country until now.

About twenty years ago, I converted to the Sikh religion, which originated in northern India about 500 years ago. We Sikhs respect all the world's religions and simply ask that our faith be respected in return.

Uncut hair is a central requirement of our faith. Uncut hair is considered by us to be a very special and sacred gift from God. The history of the Sikhs is full of sacrifices which Sikhs made for their uncut hair. These sacrifices included unspeakable tortures and death.

In order to keep our uncut hair clean and tidy and to maintain its spiritual purity, a turban is required to cover the hair.

Sikhs consider the turban to be a crown. For a devout Sikh to use a razor would be a great sin. The hair gives us a special connection with God and was a symbol enabling Sikhs to preserve their separate identity from the majority populations of India: Hindus and Muslims. The flowing beard of a male Sikh is a blessed symbol and is considered a thing of beauty.

It is generally accepted that Jesus Christ kept his hair uncut. The story of Samson in the Old Testament, a man of great strength and courage, points to the fact that human hair is a great source of spirituality and power if it is kept uncut.

Mel Gibson's movie, The Passion of the Christ, graphically depicted the suffering and death of Jesus. How would devout Christians have felt if the Romans had also humiliated Jesus by cutting off his long hair and beard?

This is how Sikhs feel now. Just because uncut hair is no longer significant in modern times as it was in Biblical times for most Christians and Jews, does not mean it is unimportant to people of other faiths.

Some time ago, a Sikh man, Jagmohan Singh Ahuja, who is incarcerated in the Duval County Jail in Jacksonville, Florida, had his religiously-mandated hair cut off. Hair does not interfere with any routine activity, and poses no danger to the person or anyone he may come in contact with.

Of course, there are security concerns in a prison situation. Please note that no one is questioning Jagmohan Singh's incarceration. However, imprisonment should not entail religious humiliation. The American Constitution protects freedom of religious expression for everyone.

The Duval County authorities claim that the hair of prisoners is cut in the interest of security. The idea that contraband can be hidden in the hair and beard is an excuse,­ not an explanation. All body parts, internal and external, are often probed for contraband in prisons, so why is long hair an exception to standard procedures?

I am informed that the hair of women inmates in Duval County is not cut. Surely, women prisoners are capable of concealing contraband in their hair as well as men. It is not as though we are referring to thousands of inmates. We are talking about a very small number.

Moreover, aren't the chances of rehabilitation better when authorities respect the religious principles of inmates? Most people think so.

I contacted Florida Governor Charlie Crist about this matter and was very disappointed in his response. His office told me that the Duval County Jail's hair policy is a local matter outside of his purview.

Many elected officials have signs on their desks saying, "The buck stops here." This is not a local matter; it is a violation of our First Amendment right of freedom of religious expression. Of course, certain First Amendment rights are lost when one is in prison, but not freedom of religion. If inmates can litigate over bad food, poor cell accommodations, inadequate law books in the prison library, etc., they have not lost all their First Amendment rights.

The Duval County authorities say that they are not violating the First Amendment because they are "equal opportunity" barbers. They will cut the hair of Sikh men, devout Muslim men, Orthodox Jewish men, et al. In other words, they claim that they are not discriminating against any specific faith, but treating all faiths alike.

Discrimination against those faiths that require uncut hair is discrimination and a clear-cut violation of our First Amendment rights. I strongly suspect that the intransigence of Duval County on this religious issue is part of a post-9/11 pattern, which does not help us either at home or in the world at large.

You once said that you and your administration "would sprint to the finish line."

I admire you for having said that. Here is an opportunity to do something consistent with that approach. You have an opportunity toward the end of your presidency to correct a terrible injustice and do something very humanitarian that will impress both Americans of conscience and faith as well as people around the world.

I do not know the terminology or the process, but surely some kind of executive order can be issued by you that says something like, "Anyone incarcerated in America will have their religious rights safeguarded per the American Constitution."

These are troubled times for our country. Shouldn't all Americans make special efforts to convince the world that we respect all cultures and religions, including those from the East?

With great respect, I implore you to correct this injustice.

Very sincerely yours,

Frank Paul Tarney a.k.a. Fatehpal Singh Tarney

USMC Service # 203055

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