Throughout much of this election process I’ve rarely noticed that I will be voting to put an African-American into the White House. It just hasn’t affected me for most of this election. Is it because Obama is not a very black acting person? Is he pandering to the white vote? Or is he genuinely trying to bring many sections of this country together in unity? I am hoping for the latter. But now that the election is over and we do have a Negro; a colored; a black; an afro-American; an African American, an American president-elect I have been starting to see the color line again.
This is not the same line that I may have seen in the past though. No, this is a new line. Maybe the word “line” is not even relevant anymore. Or at least a line made of chalk rather than razor wire. I am hoping this is true.
Maybe we are all getting the chance to cross that line. Many of us are straddling it and want to cross but not sure what to do next. But now we have something to help us that we may have never even though of before. A black president will show us the way.
Speaking from years of white liberal guilt, I have seen myself mature from living in a learned racial fear as a child growing up where work was scarce to going to more integrated colleges and jobs now to a new rung in my journey of self. And now I have seen the highest position in the known universe opened to an African American. This is one example of history NOT repeating itself. This is a new course. A new day for you and I.
For many years I have thought that if racial equality were to be met then it would have to be white people opening up and accepting everyone into the entire process that is America. Did that just happen? It is white folk, after all who are the center of power in racial issues, right?
Well, my paradigm may have just shifted overnight. I welcome this shift though. I know it won’t be easy but I personally have been waiting for something like this to happen. I think many of us white folks have been waiting for more.
I guess I really like the idea of giving up ownership of this racial separation in America. If it was white people who created it I’m not sure white people can stop it or at least not white people alone. We need help. It may be just around the corner.
This thought of mine here is a work in progress. Comments and criticism is warmly welcomed. I hope to touch back on this again and develop it further.
The questions have been painstakingly researched. The answers, however, have not.
Showing posts with label Barak Obama. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Barak Obama. Show all posts
05 November, 2008
22 October, 2008
Adlai Stevenson. Meet Barak Obama:
1952 Journal photographer William M. Gallagher's picture of Democratic presidential candidate Adlai E. Stevenson (right) and Michigan Gov. G. Mennen Williams would have been just one more picture of a politician until Stevenson crossed his legs, displaying a hole in the sole of his shoe. The flawed shoe was totally out of character for the aristocratic, intellectual Stevenson, who was having difficulty establishing himself as a candidate of the people in his race against Dwight D. Eisenhower. Gallagher’s shot — taken with camera held at arm's length so Stevenson wouldn't realize what was happening — became one of the great political photos of all time and winner of a Pulitzer Prize in 1953. Gallagher was a Journal photographer from 1941 until his death in 1975, at age 52.THE FLINT JOURNAL FILES / WILLIAM M. GALLAGHER
I believe this photo is for the baby boomers. Great savvy photo.
11 July, 2008
Obama Sucks and So Do You! Wake UP!
I don’t care if the FISA debate is a week old and no longer relevant (you wish), I can’t stop talking about this one. By now you may have heard (unless your news agency is owed by big telecom) that congress has voted to extend the FISA wiretapping “law” and make it legal for telecom to spy on “terrorists” (have a closer look at the term “terrorist” and you will find yourself in there somewhere) without impunity as well as making it impossible for citizens to sue telecom for invasion of privacy as well as retroactively hold the president not accountable for any wrongdoing in previous wairetappings.
Does this sound legit? Did this really happen? Did Obama vote to pass it? You bet. And not only did the “change we can believe in” vote to pass this bill in a 69-28 Senate vote creating legislation that the American Civil Liberties Union describes as "a Constitutional nightmare," Obama voted to silence debate on the FISA bill. Yes, shortly after they voted to pass the bill they also voted to end debate on the issue. HE VOTED TO KILL DEBATE ON THE ISSUE!
What issue is that? Well, much of it is classified. Then how can we properly vote on it? Uh…uh… Now I’m not versed in congressional voting and whatnot but wouldn’t it be easier to vote on a matter if you knew what it was really about?
No, wait, it would actually be harder because you would have to be burdened with the time it takes to read a bill. Yea, what was I thinking?
But one person who does know about the classified sections of the FISA program is big Wis senator Russ Feingold. Check out what he has to say about it.
Feingold: "I sit on the Intelligence and Judiciary Committees, and I am one of the few members of this body who has been fully briefed on the warrantless wiretapping program. And, based on what I know, I can promise that if more information is declassified about the program in the future, as is likely to happen either due to the inspector general report, the election of a new president or simply the passage of time, members of this body will regret that we passed this legislation. I am also familiar with the collection activities that have been conducted under the Protect America Act and will continue under this bill. I invite any of my colleagues who wish to know more about those activities to come speak to me in a classified setting. Publicly, all I can say is that I have serious concerns about how those activities may have impacted the civil liberties of Americans. If we grant these new powers to the government and the effects become known to the American people, we will realize what a mistake it was, of that I am sure."
Classified information? Congress is voting to extend the FISA program but much of the program information is off limits to them. And not only are they voting to pass the bill but they are voting against further discussion of the bill. Obama voted for silencing debate while McCain did not vote at all and Clinton voted to continue debate.
Unfortunately, while Obama once promised to work with Feingold, he wasn't listening when the Wisconsin senator explained to his colleagues that granting retroactive immunity to the telecommunications corporations would effectively block the ability of Congress and the courts to address not just massive corporate wrongdoing but attacks on the privacy rights of Americans (that's you and I).
And if you were listening to NPR this morning in your groggy 6:30am state you would have heard that …”Since Sept. 11, the number of spying warrants approved by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court has more than doubled, according to statistics the Justice Department releases each year.
At the same time, the number of criminal indictments against people associated with Islamist extremist groups has dropped by more than half, according to a recent study by the group Human Rights First.” http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=91968094
So what does this mean? It means that they’re just gathering information. That’s probably what they will continue to do for a long time. And what are you gonna do about it? Legally you can do nothing. You just lost those freedoms to protest your information being gathered and potentially used against you. Oh, but if you’re not a terrorist then you have nothing to fear. Define terrorist. Do you like recycling? Do you like animals? Do you shop online? Have you ever traveled outside the US? If you answered yes to any of these than you might be defined as a “terrorist”. But you’ll never know until it’s too late.
Does this sound legit? Did this really happen? Did Obama vote to pass it? You bet. And not only did the “change we can believe in” vote to pass this bill in a 69-28 Senate vote creating legislation that the American Civil Liberties Union describes as "a Constitutional nightmare," Obama voted to silence debate on the FISA bill. Yes, shortly after they voted to pass the bill they also voted to end debate on the issue. HE VOTED TO KILL DEBATE ON THE ISSUE!
What issue is that? Well, much of it is classified. Then how can we properly vote on it? Uh…uh… Now I’m not versed in congressional voting and whatnot but wouldn’t it be easier to vote on a matter if you knew what it was really about?
No, wait, it would actually be harder because you would have to be burdened with the time it takes to read a bill. Yea, what was I thinking?
But one person who does know about the classified sections of the FISA program is big Wis senator Russ Feingold. Check out what he has to say about it.
Feingold: "I sit on the Intelligence and Judiciary Committees, and I am one of the few members of this body who has been fully briefed on the warrantless wiretapping program. And, based on what I know, I can promise that if more information is declassified about the program in the future, as is likely to happen either due to the inspector general report, the election of a new president or simply the passage of time, members of this body will regret that we passed this legislation. I am also familiar with the collection activities that have been conducted under the Protect America Act and will continue under this bill. I invite any of my colleagues who wish to know more about those activities to come speak to me in a classified setting. Publicly, all I can say is that I have serious concerns about how those activities may have impacted the civil liberties of Americans. If we grant these new powers to the government and the effects become known to the American people, we will realize what a mistake it was, of that I am sure."
Classified information? Congress is voting to extend the FISA program but much of the program information is off limits to them. And not only are they voting to pass the bill but they are voting against further discussion of the bill. Obama voted for silencing debate while McCain did not vote at all and Clinton voted to continue debate.
Unfortunately, while Obama once promised to work with Feingold, he wasn't listening when the Wisconsin senator explained to his colleagues that granting retroactive immunity to the telecommunications corporations would effectively block the ability of Congress and the courts to address not just massive corporate wrongdoing but attacks on the privacy rights of Americans (that's you and I).
And if you were listening to NPR this morning in your groggy 6:30am state you would have heard that …”Since Sept. 11, the number of spying warrants approved by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court has more than doubled, according to statistics the Justice Department releases each year.
At the same time, the number of criminal indictments against people associated with Islamist extremist groups has dropped by more than half, according to a recent study by the group Human Rights First.” http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=91968094
So what does this mean? It means that they’re just gathering information. That’s probably what they will continue to do for a long time. And what are you gonna do about it? Legally you can do nothing. You just lost those freedoms to protest your information being gathered and potentially used against you. Oh, but if you’re not a terrorist then you have nothing to fear. Define terrorist. Do you like recycling? Do you like animals? Do you shop online? Have you ever traveled outside the US? If you answered yes to any of these than you might be defined as a “terrorist”. But you’ll never know until it’s too late.
04 June, 2008
President Select Barak Obama
So you know we just selected our next president last night, right?
Barak Obama has all but cinched the nominee for Democratic candidate for president. How many out there believe me when I say that the president will be decided at the primary? All the rest is a dog and pony show. Correct that: a $500 million dollar dog and pony show. The showboaters will certainly clean up with that.
But really. We could save a boat load of $$ campaigning now if we just aceptd this widely opinionated fact. Facts as I present them here.
Cheers
Barak Obama has all but cinched the nominee for Democratic candidate for president. How many out there believe me when I say that the president will be decided at the primary? All the rest is a dog and pony show. Correct that: a $500 million dollar dog and pony show. The showboaters will certainly clean up with that.
But really. We could save a boat load of $$ campaigning now if we just aceptd this widely opinionated fact. Facts as I present them here.
Cheers
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