I don't think I'm alone, when I say that I am fascinated by Barak Obama. I am fascinated in the same way that the Pied Piper and FDR fascinate me. All three are or were charismatic, complex and corrupting. That last word must have gotten your attention, so I will explain. All three corrupt their followers by leading them to dependency. And dependency is anathema to freedom. The question is; why does Obama do it? Why does he want the great mass of Americans dependent on government? His government - the democratic party controlled government. Is it commitment to socialism, distrust of capitalism, power, control, self aggrandizement, or could it be all of the above plus something else? I think it is all of the above plus at least one other factor that has not gotten much attention - reparations.

Various dictionaries have various slants on reparation, but the common thread in all definitions is repayment of a debt. In this case, the romantic and fictitious debt that America owes to descendants of American slaves. I do believe that part of Obama's complex agenda is righting what he and his advisers perceive as wrongs committed against various populations within the United States, primarily, but not limited to descendants of slaves. How else can one explain the expenditure of billions of dollars in support of so many organizations dedicated to providing assistance to those who are perceived as having been abused in the past or shut out from the great American dream. These organizations run the gamut from ACORN to Urban Renewal and lets not forget Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, that guarantee home loans to anyone who can fill out a form. Freddie and Fannie may just be the largest and most disastrous welfare program in the history of the United States.

I'm not saying that there aren't deserving people in America, who need help, but I am put off by generation after generation of welfare dependent families, who would rather accept charity from the great plantation massah in Washington than get up, grow up go for self reliance. Being the descendant of a slave is no excuse for wallowing in self pity and demanding welfare "rights." After all, if we go back far enough in European history, I dare say we would find that tens of millions of us anglo-saxons are also descendants of slaves. Slavery is as old as the Old Testament and was rampant in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas a thousand years before Christopher Columbus was born. And another factor that is overlooked when reparations are mentioned is that the slaves brought from Africa to the Americas were "purchased" in Africa from African slave owners. The belief that Africans were chased down by white slave traders is just myth.

I think reparations, the R word if you will, should be banned just as the N word is. It makes my blood boil just to think that anyone in his or her right mind would entertain such an idea as reparations for more than a second. Would these descendants rather their ancestors were never brought here? Would they rather be living in Africa today. I think not. Yet, I do believe the righteousness of reparations is ingrained in Obama and most of his advisers. Don't get me wrong, I am not racist. I think it is wonderful and profound that we have a black President. It shows that Americans are enlightened in social matters and it shows how trusting we are in our government. But, I am convinced that our trust has been abused by a very manipulative and charismatic Pied Piper.