That's not very Christian-like, now is it? Nevertheless, a few religious zealots have taken their dislike of U.S. President Barack Obama to a new level - bumper stickers and t-shirts which command viewers to pray for the president's death. Of course they don't come right out and print "Pray for our President to die". Instead, the perpetrators take a far more cowardly approach, utilizing the slogan "Pray for Obama - Psalm 109:8".

If you take the time to look up Psalm 109:8, you'll notice right off that it is not a happy and cheerful passage. Psalm 109 is better known as "A Cry for Vengeance". Psalm 109:8 specifically reads:

"Let his days be few; and let another take his office."

While that verse does not specifically mention death or harm to the leader in question, read on and you will see that Psalm 109 has a far more sinister message.

6 Appoint [a] an evil man [b] to oppose him;
let an accuser [c] stand at his right hand.

7 When he is tried, let him be found guilty,
and may his prayers condemn him.

8 May his days be few;
may another take his place of leadership.

9 May his children be fatherless
and his wife a widow.

If you see Vice President Joe Biden's motorcade coming, you best get out of the way for your own safety. In only the past week, three separate accidents have occurred involving Biden's squadron of vehicles.

According to the Secret Service, a New York City police car working ahead of the VP's motorcade collided with another vehicle Tuesday night. Biden's car was not involved, but two police officers and a cab driver were sent to the hospital with minor injuries.

On Monday, a sheriff's vehicle escorting Biden's motorcade in Albuquerque was hit by a car that went around two units blocking an intersection. A sergeant in the vehicle was injured.

Lastly, a Maryland man was killed last week when he was hit by two Secret Service cars - a limo sometiems used by Biden, and a Chevrolet Suburban used in his motorcade. Biden was not in either vehicle at the time of the accident.

President Barack Obama has issued a statement following the House of Representatives passing the Affordable Health Care for America Act, HR 3962. The bill passed by a vote of 220-215 with only one Republican vote. Obama said in a statement:

Tonight, in an historic vote, the House of Representatives passed a bill that would finally make real the promise of quality, affordable health care for the American people.

The Affordable Health Care for America Act is a piece of legislation that will provide stability and security for Americans who have insurance; quality affordable options for those who don’t; and bring down the cost of health care for families, businesses, and the government while strengthening the financial health of Medicare. And it is legislation that is fully paid for and will reduce our long-term federal deficit.

Tell us something we didn't know. Rather than make peace with the conservative-minded network, Barack Obama's White House advisors declined to end their feud with Fox News, and instead decided to fuel the fire on the Sunday talk show circuit.

White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel told rival cable TV news channel CNN's "State of the Union" that Obama considers Fox News "not a news organization so much as it has a perspective." Compared with other news outlets, "that's a different take", Emanuel added.

Another Obama political advisor, David Axelrod, hit up ABC where he told "This Week" that Fox News "is really not news. It's pushing a point of view."

Last week, White House communications director Anita Dunn claimed:

"Fox News often operates almost as either the research arm or the communications arm of the Republican Party."

Fox News, of course, reacted quite strongly to the White House accusations.

Fox News Senior Vice President Michael Clemente said in a statement:

"Surprisingly, the White House continues to declare war on a news organization instead of focusing on the critical issues that Americans are concerned about like jobs, health care and two wars."

According to the Washington Post, President Barack Obama is dispatching an additional 13,000 US troops to Afghanistan beyond the 21,000 announced back in March. The latest surge has not been announced by Obama, and the additional troops primarily consist of support forces including engineers, medical personnel, military police, and intelligence experts.

With the unannounced 13,000, that will bring the increase that Obama has approved to send to Afghanistan to 34,000. It comes at the same time Obama is considering a request from General Stanley McChrystal, a top US and NATO commander in Afghanistan, for more combat, training and support troops. There are several options to weigh, including one for 40,000 additional forces.

An unnamed defense official told the paper, "Obama authorized the whole thing. The only thing you saw announced in a press release was the 21,000."

The paper did note, however, that the maximum number of US service members expected in the war-torn country by year's end - 68,000 - would remain the same.

On Sept. 17, 2009, President Obama presented the Medal of Honor to the parents of Army Staff Sgt. Jared C. Monti for "conspicuous gallantry." Monti, 30, was serving with the 10th Mountain Division when he was killed in a battle at Gowardesh, Afghanistan.

This was the sixth occasion since Sept. 11, 2001, that the nation's highest award has been presented. Some believe, however, the number of recipients is too low. In the National Defense Authorization Act for 2010, the Department of Defense came under fire for setting decoration standards too high. Still, regardless of political pressure and changing definitions in popular media, the department has held fast to its own definition of the word "hero," which has stood the test of time.

Oh, how I do love being right. I predicted to some of my political wonk friends that Obama’s winning of the presidency would cause an increase (perhaps even of significant proportions) in the number of young people — especially young people of color and women — seeking careers in politics. It seems as if my prediction turned out to be accurate: Sixty-two individuals, a record number, filed to run for a seat on Cleveland’s City Council this year, and I’m hearing similar stories — admittedly anecdotal, no scientific study has been done that I’m aware of — from acquaintances that live in urban areas around the country.

One new local candidate was Lincoln High School student Lynette Cintron, the daughter of a former city councilman Nelson Cintron. She was a mere 17-years-old, and filed to take on an experienced and able incumbent in Matt Zone. While she probably had zero chance of winning the contest (she dropped out of the race last week), she undoubtedly has been tutored by her father that running and losing still gains her name recognition that can be used in future, more winnable, contests.

If there is anything that has become abundantly clear it’s that Southerners, especially Republican Southerners, can’t cope with the fact that we elected a black President. The Civil War, folks, is NOT the past.

We can see it over and over again. That’s what the “liar” scream of the South Carolinian representative was all about. Wonder that he didn’t bring a Confederate flag to wave. That’s what the crazy Texas talk about succession is all about. And Gov. Tim Plenty played a similar theme.

Maybe somebody should start a boycott on travel south of Washington, D. C. See how they like that.

However, that’s not what I want to say.

There is talk that our former Mayor, former Governor and now Sen. George Voinovich might be one of two or three Republicans that will vote for a health reform bill desired by President Barack Obama.

In a way, it would be fitting for Voinovich as he ends his elective political career. He could a blow not only for fair health reform but against the bigots. There have been hints about Voinovich voting for the bill. However, he has teased on such issues only to draw back to the Right.

A vote with President Obama might help erase a mark he hates on his record.

What a pitiful week for the once proud United States of America. Hopefully when we look back at this time many years from now, we will see that the parents not allowing their children to listen to a President's address to schoolchildren and Joe Wilson who disrupted Barack Obama as the apex of divisiveness that has torn us apart during this tumultuous decade. At least we had a bright spot as The Beatles' attempt to take out us out of the doldrums with their remastered works and a video game that will attempt to cheer up a country in need of a lift. The Republican party should particularly take heed of John Lennon's song Come Together and stop all the bickering.

Members of the GOP will quickly play the blame game with the Democrats, declaring that it was their party that started it all. Correct me if I am mistaken, but the vocal minority a few years back were correct in their assertion that there would be no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and by entering in such a war it would be a quagmire for our great military. The loss of civil liberties with the passage of the Patriot Act helped take the USA back 200 years. The Bush policy was so bad that even Dick Cheney has been attempting to distance himself from such a pathetic track record.