That is supposed to be Obama dressed in what has been described as "Muslim clothes" giving his wife Michelle a fist bump while she is dressed in combat boots, Army fatigues, carrying an AK-47 and sporting an Angela Davis-sized afro. If you look closely in the background, you'll see a picture of Osama bin Laden hanging on the wall and the American flag is burning in the fireplace.
In a statement released to the Associated Press, the magazine states that the artist is the artist's way of satirizing "the use of scare tactics and misinformation in the presidential election to derail Barack Obama's campaign."
Satire my ashy knee caps! That is for the lack of a better term, crap.
Every since the Obama campaign has started, folks have been trying to derail it by playing to the fears of insecurities that so many Republicans and racist Americans have about black people in general. Acts like this are simply the politics of fear being put to practice.
Before 9/11, Americans were oblivious and apathetic to world issues and we rarely heard about any countries wanting to harm us. Now that we have been attacked, the Republicans have been able to maintain the power that they have because voters know that Dems and Independents will more often than not try to be diplomatic and talk us through this thing instead of running off to foreign countries with "guns a-blazing."
So instead of simply saying they don't agree with Obama's politics, because he is a black man with the name Barack Hussein Obama, he has to be a terrorist.
Let's discuss this logically, OK? First off, the man is named after his father. He can't help that. If he would have changed his name, he'd be denying his father and his family's legacy. Plus, how the freak was his mom to know that his middle name would be the surname of one of the world's most infamous dictators?
Secondly, why is the afro the international symbol for 'the angry black woman?' I never understood that. It's hair, that's all. I wear an afro and you would be surprised how much it scares people.
My hair is a lot fuller and thicker than it appears because I don't want to scare anybody. For the last time, it is just hair! Michelle Obama doesn't wear her hair in an afro but that is how she's been depicted because I guess that makes her seem more angry.
I say it's all bull. The folks at the New Yorker obviously believe that Americans are too stupid to recognize racist propaganda when we see it. I don't see them drawing Sen. John McCain on a walker, with a blanket draped over his shoulders carrying a bottle of Geritol and then claiming that it isn't ageism.
To add insult to injury, host of the McLaughlin Group, John McLaughlin called Obama an "Oreo" during the Sunday broadcast of his show. According a report on CNN, McLaughlin said Obama "fits the stereotype blacks once labeled as an Oreo — a black on the outside, a white on the inside."
"Does it frost Jackson, Jesse Jackson, that…an Oreo should be the beneficiary of the long civil rights struggle which Jesse Jackson spent his lifetime fighting for?" McLaughlin asked his panelists.
Boy, some folks are gettin' more and more bold, aren't they? Granted, I think that some of us are a little too sensitive about some of the names and some of the things being said about black people but when you think about it, we're the only folks who hear racial epithets on a regular basis in most cases by people who look like us.
You don't hear Asians referring to each other as Chinks and Coolies, at least not out in public. You don't hear Jewish people referring to each other as mocks and kikes.
Honestly, I think we should ignore the speech being spewed about Obama and all hate speech in general. And maybe, just maybe, it'll all go away.
What do you think?
Monday, July 14, 2008
It's a sad, sad day in American politics.
Not only because former White House press secretary Tony Snow has passed away. Not only because there have been 4,118 confirmed deaths as a result of the War in Iraq. I'm sad because even as far as America has come, some of us still feel a need use hate speech and propaganda when a candidate of color is doing so well in a political run.
Because I am 26, I've had the privilege of voting in the past two presidential elections. Because of the outcome of both of those pseudo-elections, it left me feeling a bit disenchanted with the political process of this country.
Since Sen. Barack Obama burst onto the national political scene, he's brought with him the rebirth of a lot of people's faith and hope, myself included, in America's political process. To me, it's only icing on the cake that Obama is a black man.
I say icing because this is a historic moment that is long overdue. It's 2008, John Mercer Langston , the first black man elected to public office, was elected in 1855, the Emancipation Proclamation freed the slaves on the first day of 1863. The Voting Rights Act that guarantees all citizens the right to vote was passed in 1965. Yet, after all that, Americans and the American press feel a need to play, not just the race card, but the whole deck.
Last night when I went to bed, I went with the intentions of writing about Oliver Stone's upcoming release, "W," which is a biopic about the current President Bush. I was going to compare pictures of the actual people and the real folks and tell some of my choices for the cast.
But, this morning I woke up, checked CNN and got my eyes full of racially fueled, insensitive, offensive and downright tasteless crap. The first thing I saw was this cover of the New Yorker.
That is supposed to be Obama dressed in what has been described as "Muslim clothes" giving his wife Michelle a fist bump while she is dressed in combat boots, Army fatigues, carrying an AK-47 and sporting an Angela Davis-sized afro. If you look closely in the background, you'll see a picture of Osama bin Laden hanging on the wall and the American flag is burning in the fireplace.
In a statement released to the Associated Press, the magazine states that the artist is the artist's way of satirizing "the use of scare tactics and misinformation in the presidential election to derail Barack Obama's campaign."
Satire my ashy knee caps! That is for the lack of a better term, crap.
Every since the Obama campaign has started, folks have been trying to derail it by playing to the fears of insecurities that so many Republicans and racist Americans have about black people in general. Acts like this are simply the politics of fear being put to practice.
Before 9/11, Americans were oblivious and apathetic to world issues and we rarely heard about any countries wanting to harm us. Now that we have been attacked, the Republicans have been able to maintain the power that they have because voters know that Dems and Independents will more often than not try to be diplomatic and talk us through this thing instead of running off to foreign countries with "guns a-blazing."
So instead of simply saying they don't agree with Obama's politics, because he is a black man with the name Barack Hussein Obama, he has to be a terrorist.
Let's discuss this logically, OK? First off, the man is named after his father. He can't help that. If he would have changed his name, he'd be denying his father and his family's legacy. Plus, how the freak was his mom to know that his middle name would be the surname of one of the world's most infamous dictators?
Secondly, why is the afro the international symbol for 'the angry black woman?' I never understood that. It's hair, that's all. I wear an afro and you would be surprised how much it scares people.
My hair is a lot fuller and thicker than it appears because I don't want to scare anybody. For the last time, it is just hair! Michelle Obama doesn't wear her hair in an afro but that is how she's been depicted because I guess that makes her seem more angry.
I say it's all bull. The folks at the New Yorker obviously believe that Americans are too stupid to recognize racist propaganda when we see it. I don't see them drawing Sen. John McCain on a walker, with a blanket draped over his shoulders carrying a bottle of Geritol and then claiming that it isn't ageism.
To add insult to injury, host of the McLaughlin Group, John McLaughlin called Obama an "Oreo" during the Sunday broadcast of his show. According a report on CNN, McLaughlin said Obama "fits the stereotype blacks once labeled as an Oreo — a black on the outside, a white on the inside."
"Does it frost Jackson, Jesse Jackson, that…an Oreo should be the beneficiary of the long civil rights struggle which Jesse Jackson spent his lifetime fighting for?" McLaughlin asked his panelists.
Boy, some folks are gettin' more and more bold, aren't they? Granted, I think that some of us are a little too sensitive about some of the names and some of the things being said about black people but when you think about it, we're the only folks who hear racial epithets on a regular basis in most cases by people who look like us.
You don't hear Asians referring to each other as Chinks and Coolies, at least not out in public. You don't hear Jewish people referring to each other as mocks and kikes.
Honestly, I think we should ignore the speech being spewed about Obama and all hate speech in general. And maybe, just maybe, it'll all go away.
What do you think?
That is supposed to be Obama dressed in what has been described as "Muslim clothes" giving his wife Michelle a fist bump while she is dressed in combat boots, Army fatigues, carrying an AK-47 and sporting an Angela Davis-sized afro. If you look closely in the background, you'll see a picture of Osama bin Laden hanging on the wall and the American flag is burning in the fireplace.
In a statement released to the Associated Press, the magazine states that the artist is the artist's way of satirizing "the use of scare tactics and misinformation in the presidential election to derail Barack Obama's campaign."
Satire my ashy knee caps! That is for the lack of a better term, crap.
Every since the Obama campaign has started, folks have been trying to derail it by playing to the fears of insecurities that so many Republicans and racist Americans have about black people in general. Acts like this are simply the politics of fear being put to practice.
Before 9/11, Americans were oblivious and apathetic to world issues and we rarely heard about any countries wanting to harm us. Now that we have been attacked, the Republicans have been able to maintain the power that they have because voters know that Dems and Independents will more often than not try to be diplomatic and talk us through this thing instead of running off to foreign countries with "guns a-blazing."
So instead of simply saying they don't agree with Obama's politics, because he is a black man with the name Barack Hussein Obama, he has to be a terrorist.
Let's discuss this logically, OK? First off, the man is named after his father. He can't help that. If he would have changed his name, he'd be denying his father and his family's legacy. Plus, how the freak was his mom to know that his middle name would be the surname of one of the world's most infamous dictators?
Secondly, why is the afro the international symbol for 'the angry black woman?' I never understood that. It's hair, that's all. I wear an afro and you would be surprised how much it scares people.
My hair is a lot fuller and thicker than it appears because I don't want to scare anybody. For the last time, it is just hair! Michelle Obama doesn't wear her hair in an afro but that is how she's been depicted because I guess that makes her seem more angry.
I say it's all bull. The folks at the New Yorker obviously believe that Americans are too stupid to recognize racist propaganda when we see it. I don't see them drawing Sen. John McCain on a walker, with a blanket draped over his shoulders carrying a bottle of Geritol and then claiming that it isn't ageism.
To add insult to injury, host of the McLaughlin Group, John McLaughlin called Obama an "Oreo" during the Sunday broadcast of his show. According a report on CNN, McLaughlin said Obama "fits the stereotype blacks once labeled as an Oreo — a black on the outside, a white on the inside."
"Does it frost Jackson, Jesse Jackson, that…an Oreo should be the beneficiary of the long civil rights struggle which Jesse Jackson spent his lifetime fighting for?" McLaughlin asked his panelists.
Boy, some folks are gettin' more and more bold, aren't they? Granted, I think that some of us are a little too sensitive about some of the names and some of the things being said about black people but when you think about it, we're the only folks who hear racial epithets on a regular basis in most cases by people who look like us.
You don't hear Asians referring to each other as Chinks and Coolies, at least not out in public. You don't hear Jewish people referring to each other as mocks and kikes.
Honestly, I think we should ignore the speech being spewed about Obama and all hate speech in general. And maybe, just maybe, it'll all go away.
What do you think?
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Open letter to Jesse Jackson
Dear Rev. Jackson,
I know these words may never reach you, but still I have to write this on the off chance that a friend of a friend of a friend of yours will read this and relay my message.
First of all, thank you for your contributions to the movements of Civil Rights and Human Rights. You've been a huge asset to those movements and have no doubt opened doors for many poor people and people of color.
Your diligent work as an activist, a minister of the gospel and by all accounts as a leader dates back more more than 40 years. You've built a loyal following among people of all different ethnic backgrounds. You've opened up doors to our nations capital and made political strides that have made it possible for Sen. Barack Obama to have gotten this far. And because of all that, the country and maybe even the world is better because you have been in it.
While I certainly appreciate your contributions and your good works, I, and a horde of other people - especially black people - think it's time that you sit your ass down! Excuse my language Rev, but, I don't think anyone would disagree with me on this one.
Yesterday, a story surfaced that you made some, uh, dumb ass comments to UnitedHealth Group executive Dr. Reed V. Tuckson during a break on Sunday while both of you were being interviewed by a Fox news correspondent.
The portion of the tape being that was shown on The O'Reilly Factor Wednesday night shows you whispering to Tuckson, "See, Barack's been talking down to black people ... I want to cut his nuts off."
Your defense is you didn't know the mic was hot. You'll excuse me if I don't believe you, won't you?
First of all, you were interviewing with Fox News, the only "news" organization who has to announce that they're fair and balanced like they're trying to convince themselves. Anytime a "liberal" person, a person of color and anyone in support of Barack Obama is being interviewed by Fox News, the mic is always hot!
Because Obama is leading in all the Gallup Polls taken by news outlets, Fox News is in a mad dash to find someone, anyone, slipping who claims to support Obama. You see how they strung up Jeremiah Wright and you still continue to let your diarrhea of the mouth go untreated.
Secondly, you had to know that the mic was still hot because you had sense enough to whisper your comments. Hey Rev, microphones are amplifiers and really good ones pick up everything whether you whisper or not. If the conversation was so private and you didn't want anyone to hear your comments, you should have kept them to yourself for after the damn interview. Talk to the man in a one on one setting when nobody is wearing a mic. At least, that way, if someone records you then without your knowledge, you have grounds to sue them. Duh!
After all of this, you are making your rounds to every media outlet who will listen and you've even called a presser to explain those remarks. You placed calls to the Obama campaign to apolo-lie, your own son has rejected, renounced and rebuked your comments and still, I'm not satisfied.
Twice in this campaign, you have managed to piss on the progress of a man who has the potential to take this country further than you've ever dreamed. For the umpteenth time in history, you've managed to overshadow the real issues with asinine comments that don't have a thing to do with the price of tea in China.
Plus, somewhere in your storied career, the American press and in turn, the majority of the American people, got in their heads that you and your counterpart Al Sharpton speak for black people. Hell, I think ya'll got the idea in your heads that you speak for black people. Well I got news for you and them. You don't speak for me.
You've managed to distract the American people and spew, what could be confused with 'hateration,' about Obama - again. There's only one way you can fix it and it's not with an apology either.
The only way you will be able to atone for this is to get somewhere and sit down. Is there no program or assistance for retired revolutionaries? Why don't you start one? Better yet, why don't you take all this extra time on your hands and spend with your 9-year-old daughter that you fathered during your adulterous relationship? Maybe if somebody would have cut your nuts off, you wouldn't be paying $3,000 in child support!
I'm saying, people who live in glass houses should be the last ones to throw stones. Almost everything I've read indicates that the main issue stems from Obama's Father's Day speech at a predominantly black church when Obama called for all the black father's to man up and take care of their responsibilities.
I would think that because Obama had to grow up in the absence of his black father that he would be an expert on the subject. I think that much of what he had to say hit a little too close to home for your comfort. As they say in the country, "a hit dog will holler" and I hear you loud and clear Rev.
You know what they do to hit dogs who don't show any sign of recovery, right Rev.? They put them out of their misery. I'm not saying that anyone should or would come along and kill your legacy but you are giving them a reason to do so. Hell, you're sharpening the knife, loading the gun and tying the noose.
So please, from one Aggie to another, for the love of all things right and to preserve the reputation of our esteemed alma mater, go somewhere, anywhere and sit your ass down! You're making us look bad.
I'm going to have to agree with Junior on a portion of his statement about his dad's comments. "He should keep hope alive and any personal attacks and insults to himself."
I couldn't have said it better myself!
Sincerely,
Smarty Jones
N.C. A&T Class of 2003
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
To quote Sophia from "The Color Purple"
"I knowed deys a God!"
Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards has said that he would "seriously consider" accepting the vice presidential nod if it's offered. I tell you, that statement did my heart some good when I saw it on CNN Politics.
Since I'm fasting TV for the month of July, I had to read about it online and I'm sure I lost some of the effect. Either way, I felt like jumping for joy.
In this posting on CNN's political ticker yesterday, he said he'd "seriously consider" whatever Sen. Obama asked him to do.
Edwards proved himself to be a viable candidate in 2004 and early in this election season. To me, the man is poised and ready to be an agent of change and I think that he would certainly be an asset, not only to the Obama campaign, but to the rest of us as well.
I hope they ask him because, well, I only trust Sen. Clinton about thismuch. Don't get me wrong, she's an awesome politician, they all are, but something about her still makes me just a wee bit uneasy. Plus, she spent the majority of her bit for the presidency on my good nerve and I'm technically still not over that.
One thing that would make me trust her is if she would lean a little harder on her past donors to lay off Obama and support him. Some of those folks are unbelievable. I just watched a clip on CNN, and I'm not sure if that means I'm cheating, but anyway, Joe Johns interviewed a Clinton contributor who said she's not sure if she'll support Obama because she "just doesn't like him" and she thinks he's "elitist."
Now, I'm not one to judge folks and call them names but that fool is being juvenile and petty. She's alleging sexism. OK, there was sexism. Guess what, Clinton did a lot of that to herself too. There was also racism, I don't see Obama crying foul every five minutes.
Sadly, I think Clinton's supporters want her to be catered to and they even want Obama to settle her campaign debts. I want to know why he should foot the bill for her delusions of grandeur? Granted, in the beginning and about a month before the bitter end, and I do mean bitter, it was a heavily contest race. But, let's be honest here, it went on a lot longer than it should have and she racked up far more debt trying to "prove a point" than she would have if she would have just 'gone in peace.'
All Clinton supporters are not doing this, but a lot of them are and it is going to be detrimental to the party and ultimately to the country. The whole point of this is to get a Democrat elected into office because, frankly, they can't do much worse than the current administration or the would-be McCain administration.
Since campaign contributions are public record, a lot of Clinton's supporters' names have been surfacing on McCain's financial records as major donors. This can not be because they believe in his politics, it has to be because they want to 'stick it to Obama.'
It is the mark of a childish individual who wants to derail a person because, 'you don't like him.' My first boss was a Grade-A, psycho who I didn't like for some time, but, he knew how to do his job. He got results and that is what we expect of Obama.
Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards has said that he would "seriously consider" accepting the vice presidential nod if it's offered. I tell you, that statement did my heart some good when I saw it on CNN Politics.
Since I'm fasting TV for the month of July, I had to read about it online and I'm sure I lost some of the effect. Either way, I felt like jumping for joy.
In this posting on CNN's political ticker yesterday, he said he'd "seriously consider" whatever Sen. Obama asked him to do.
Edwards proved himself to be a viable candidate in 2004 and early in this election season. To me, the man is poised and ready to be an agent of change and I think that he would certainly be an asset, not only to the Obama campaign, but to the rest of us as well.
I hope they ask him because, well, I only trust Sen. Clinton about thismuch. Don't get me wrong, she's an awesome politician, they all are, but something about her still makes me just a wee bit uneasy. Plus, she spent the majority of her bit for the presidency on my good nerve and I'm technically still not over that.
One thing that would make me trust her is if she would lean a little harder on her past donors to lay off Obama and support him. Some of those folks are unbelievable. I just watched a clip on CNN, and I'm not sure if that means I'm cheating, but anyway, Joe Johns interviewed a Clinton contributor who said she's not sure if she'll support Obama because she "just doesn't like him" and she thinks he's "elitist."
Now, I'm not one to judge folks and call them names but that fool is being juvenile and petty. She's alleging sexism. OK, there was sexism. Guess what, Clinton did a lot of that to herself too. There was also racism, I don't see Obama crying foul every five minutes.
Sadly, I think Clinton's supporters want her to be catered to and they even want Obama to settle her campaign debts. I want to know why he should foot the bill for her delusions of grandeur? Granted, in the beginning and about a month before the bitter end, and I do mean bitter, it was a heavily contest race. But, let's be honest here, it went on a lot longer than it should have and she racked up far more debt trying to "prove a point" than she would have if she would have just 'gone in peace.'
All Clinton supporters are not doing this, but a lot of them are and it is going to be detrimental to the party and ultimately to the country. The whole point of this is to get a Democrat elected into office because, frankly, they can't do much worse than the current administration or the would-be McCain administration.
Since campaign contributions are public record, a lot of Clinton's supporters' names have been surfacing on McCain's financial records as major donors. This can not be because they believe in his politics, it has to be because they want to 'stick it to Obama.'
It is the mark of a childish individual who wants to derail a person because, 'you don't like him.' My first boss was a Grade-A, psycho who I didn't like for some time, but, he knew how to do his job. He got results and that is what we expect of Obama.
Monday, July 7, 2008
I'm baaaaack!!!
It's certainly been a minute since I've posted here. It feels like forever but it's really only been a few days short of a month.
I took that time to do a series of posts on Black Music Month on the sister blog Difference of Opinion and I think they went over very well. Now that July is here, we've got a little less than 
four months until election day.
I don't know about you, but I for one am marking them off my calendar like a prisoner. "Only 119 days until election and six months and 13 days until inauguration." I can see the light at the end of the tunnel!
Since I've been gone, a lot of craziness has taken place in the political realm and you know I've got to do a recap because some of it pissed me off to the highest level of pisstivity and I almost, ALMOST, had to come back and post a few sentences just to let off some steam.
The last time I posted, I was a lil' peeved about the fact that so many of my counterparts have been questioning Sen. Barack Obama's "blackness." I know it's 
silly but it did tick me off and it still does as a matter of fact. The most recent display of ignorance came from five-time loser Ralph Nader when he claimed that Obama was "talking white."
Can somebody please explain to me what he means, meant or whatever? Here's a quote from an article published by the Rocky Mountain News:
"There's only one thing different about Barack Obama when it comes to being a Democratic presidential candidate. He's half African-American. Whether that will make any difference, I don't know. I haven't heard him have a strong crackdown on economic exploitation in the ghettos. Payday loans, predatory lending, asbestos, lead. What's keeping him from doing that? Is it because he wants to talk white? He doesn't want to appear like Jesse Jackson? We'll see all that play out in the next few months and if he gets elected afterwards."
First and foremost, Obama should never be lumped into a category with Jesse Jackson, ever. Another thing is these things are universal and poverty will always be universal as long as there are people living in it. And how do people 'talk white'? Explain that to me please!
And thank God Hillary finally came around. Lord knows I was getting a little worried, and a little concerned that she would turn on the party. But I think, she, like so many of our fellow Americans are sick and tired of being jerked around and to ensure we won't have it happen again is to get some new blood in the White House.
I think it's important to recognize that every election that we vote in is a matter of choosing the lesser of two evils. I don't trust any politician because they are known to, dare I say, flip flop, when it is beneficial to the outside agencies supporting their campaigns.
The think I like about Obama is the fact that the money he's taken has been from the people and not the special interest groups. In theory, his allegiance is to the people and not the special interests. That's a wonderful thought.
Because Obama has shown that he can raise a crap load of money from the 'everyday people' and he doesn't have to take public financing for his campaign. Of course, that is not the reason he's citing for his reason for not taking the financing. He claims the system is broken and it would put him at a disadvantage. I agree with that, but he's being crucified because he's still going to run a helluva campaign without public financing.
Since he won't be taking any public money, that means he won't have a limit on spending either. To me, that's great. For so long, Republicans have been at the forefront of campaign spending because: 1. they had it to spend and 2. they didn't mind financially backing the candidate who would protect their interests.
The great thing is now, Democrats, Independents and Obamaicans are now all getting behind this candidate, figuratively and literally with their time and their money and I think it's awesome! The problem the GOP has with Obama and the Dems now is basically, they can't raise that much and they won't be able to do as much as Obama. Now, he's a liar, they say and Americans should beware.
I say, whatev! If we should beware of anyone in this mess, it's John McCain and Nader. McCain is going to get us blown off the globe. He's so much like the current President Bush that it's sickening. And Nader, that whack job doesn't have ANY experience in the political arena at all!
To the best of my research abilities, he's not so much as held a city council position, much less a position with anybodies House or Senate. At least Obama has been an elected official. OK, I'm done with that. The more I think about it, the more it pisses me off.
What do you guys think?
four months until election day.
I don't know about you, but I for one am marking them off my calendar like a prisoner. "Only 119 days until election and six months and 13 days until inauguration." I can see the light at the end of the tunnel!
Since I've been gone, a lot of craziness has taken place in the political realm and you know I've got to do a recap because some of it pissed me off to the highest level of pisstivity and I almost, ALMOST, had to come back and post a few sentences just to let off some steam.
The last time I posted, I was a lil' peeved about the fact that so many of my counterparts have been questioning Sen. Barack Obama's "blackness." I know it's 
silly but it did tick me off and it still does as a matter of fact. The most recent display of ignorance came from five-time loser Ralph Nader when he claimed that Obama was "talking white."
Can somebody please explain to me what he means, meant or whatever? Here's a quote from an article published by the Rocky Mountain News:
"There's only one thing different about Barack Obama when it comes to being a Democratic presidential candidate. He's half African-American. Whether that will make any difference, I don't know. I haven't heard him have a strong crackdown on economic exploitation in the ghettos. Payday loans, predatory lending, asbestos, lead. What's keeping him from doing that? Is it because he wants to talk white? He doesn't want to appear like Jesse Jackson? We'll see all that play out in the next few months and if he gets elected afterwards."
First and foremost, Obama should never be lumped into a category with Jesse Jackson, ever. Another thing is these things are universal and poverty will always be universal as long as there are people living in it. And how do people 'talk white'? Explain that to me please!
And thank God Hillary finally came around. Lord knows I was getting a little worried, and a little concerned that she would turn on the party. But I think, she, like so many of our fellow Americans are sick and tired of being jerked around and to ensure we won't have it happen again is to get some new blood in the White House.
I think it's important to recognize that every election that we vote in is a matter of choosing the lesser of two evils. I don't trust any politician because they are known to, dare I say, flip flop, when it is beneficial to the outside agencies supporting their campaigns.
The think I like about Obama is the fact that the money he's taken has been from the people and not the special interest groups. In theory, his allegiance is to the people and not the special interests. That's a wonderful thought.
Because Obama has shown that he can raise a crap load of money from the 'everyday people' and he doesn't have to take public financing for his campaign. Of course, that is not the reason he's citing for his reason for not taking the financing. He claims the system is broken and it would put him at a disadvantage. I agree with that, but he's being crucified because he's still going to run a helluva campaign without public financing.
Since he won't be taking any public money, that means he won't have a limit on spending either. To me, that's great. For so long, Republicans have been at the forefront of campaign spending because: 1. they had it to spend and 2. they didn't mind financially backing the candidate who would protect their interests.
The great thing is now, Democrats, Independents and Obamaicans are now all getting behind this candidate, figuratively and literally with their time and their money and I think it's awesome! The problem the GOP has with Obama and the Dems now is basically, they can't raise that much and they won't be able to do as much as Obama. Now, he's a liar, they say and Americans should beware.
I say, whatev! If we should beware of anyone in this mess, it's John McCain and Nader. McCain is going to get us blown off the globe. He's so much like the current President Bush that it's sickening. And Nader, that whack job doesn't have ANY experience in the political arena at all!
To the best of my research abilities, he's not so much as held a city council position, much less a position with anybodies House or Senate. At least Obama has been an elected official. OK, I'm done with that. The more I think about it, the more it pisses me off.
What do you guys think?
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Is he or isn't he?
To further divide Barack Obama's supporters, recent media reports are now calling into question his blackness. I know, it sounds a little crazy but because his mother is white and his father is black, instead of calling Obama black, they're now referring to him as bi-racial.
Technically, Obama is bi-racial but he has said many times before that he's embraced the black community and the black community has embraced him. He looks black, he sounds black, he identifies as black, therefore, the man is black.
If he was a regular guy on the street, no one would care. They'd see a black man and keep it moving.
Let's break it on down. Obviously, he looks black. Really and truly, everybody looks black because the colors of our skin range from cafe au lait to blurple, that's blue black and purple.
Under normal circumstances, I'm told, bi-racial people don't often get a chance to choose which group they identify with. From what I understand, they spend a lot of time trying to figure out where they fit in and usually fall in with the crowd that accepts them. More often than not, it's the black community.
Up until I was growing up, kids who identified themselves as bi-racial was an anomaly. It's not like we didn't have them, it's just they didn't identify themselves as such because it would leave them open to criticism and teasing and in some cases, hazing.
Now that interracial relationships are widely accepted and it's OK to be different, folks still feel a need to make bi-racial kids and now adults, choose a group. Why can't they embrace all of them while they identify more with one group?
What if Jasmine Guy, Lenny Kravitz, Cree Summer, Lisa Bonet, Boris Kodjoe, his wife Nicole Ari Parker-Kodjoe, Alicia Keys, Faith Evans, Eartha Kitt, Derek Jeter, Grant Hill, his wife Tamia, Bob Marley, Jimi Hendrix, Malcolm X, Mario Van Peebles, Michael Michelle, Smokey Robinson, Shemar Moore, and the ever-so-fine Tyson Beckford all decided to tell the world about their bi-racial heritage. Would they be looked at any differently?
The world may never know, because I'm willing to bet that a lot of you didn't know half these people had white and asian parents and grandparents. You didn't know because they haven't put all their business out in the open like Obama has. Is that wrong of them? No. Does it make Obama any better because he has? No.
Putting out his heritage shows that Obama is all about putting his business out himself. He didn't wait for his counterparts to find old family photos of him with his interracial parents. He didn't wait for his counterparts to dig up childhood friends to ask whether or not he's smoked weed. He put it out there himself.
The bottom line is let the man be. Yes one of his parents is black and the other one isn't. He's still human and he has a right to be who he wants and embrace every part of himself. Who is the media, and anybody else, to deny him that right?
The funny thing is he isn't black enough for some white liberals who want to make sure he identifies his white heritage and he isn't white enough for white conservatives because he looks black.
The bottom line is he doesn't have to be black enough or white enough, he has to be smart enough, stable enough and human enough to run the Oval Office. So enough with trying to figure out whether or not he's more one thing than the other. The one thing we should be concerned about is whether or not he's ready and equipped to fix this Bush mess.
Technically, Obama is bi-racial but he has said many times before that he's embraced the black community and the black community has embraced him. He looks black, he sounds black, he identifies as black, therefore, the man is black.
If he was a regular guy on the street, no one would care. They'd see a black man and keep it moving.
Let's break it on down. Obviously, he looks black. Really and truly, everybody looks black because the colors of our skin range from cafe au lait to blurple, that's blue black and purple.
Under normal circumstances, I'm told, bi-racial people don't often get a chance to choose which group they identify with. From what I understand, they spend a lot of time trying to figure out where they fit in and usually fall in with the crowd that accepts them. More often than not, it's the black community.
Up until I was growing up, kids who identified themselves as bi-racial was an anomaly. It's not like we didn't have them, it's just they didn't identify themselves as such because it would leave them open to criticism and teasing and in some cases, hazing.
Now that interracial relationships are widely accepted and it's OK to be different, folks still feel a need to make bi-racial kids and now adults, choose a group. Why can't they embrace all of them while they identify more with one group?
What if Jasmine Guy, Lenny Kravitz, Cree Summer, Lisa Bonet, Boris Kodjoe, his wife Nicole Ari Parker-Kodjoe, Alicia Keys, Faith Evans, Eartha Kitt, Derek Jeter, Grant Hill, his wife Tamia, Bob Marley, Jimi Hendrix, Malcolm X, Mario Van Peebles, Michael Michelle, Smokey Robinson, Shemar Moore, and the ever-so-fine Tyson Beckford all decided to tell the world about their bi-racial heritage. Would they be looked at any differently?
The world may never know, because I'm willing to bet that a lot of you didn't know half these people had white and asian parents and grandparents. You didn't know because they haven't put all their business out in the open like Obama has. Is that wrong of them? No. Does it make Obama any better because he has? No.
Putting out his heritage shows that Obama is all about putting his business out himself. He didn't wait for his counterparts to find old family photos of him with his interracial parents. He didn't wait for his counterparts to dig up childhood friends to ask whether or not he's smoked weed. He put it out there himself.
The bottom line is let the man be. Yes one of his parents is black and the other one isn't. He's still human and he has a right to be who he wants and embrace every part of himself. Who is the media, and anybody else, to deny him that right?
The funny thing is he isn't black enough for some white liberals who want to make sure he identifies his white heritage and he isn't white enough for white conservatives because he looks black.
The bottom line is he doesn't have to be black enough or white enough, he has to be smart enough, stable enough and human enough to run the Oval Office. So enough with trying to figure out whether or not he's more one thing than the other. The one thing we should be concerned about is whether or not he's ready and equipped to fix this Bush mess.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
I tell you ...
... if this were a movie, I'd be sitting on a porch in a rocking chair with a glass of lemonade humming an old Negro spirituals and telling my grandchildren about where I was on the day Barack Obama made history.
I don't know about you guys but I am so proud of this man and his family it makes no sense. I just hope that they are who they say they are and we don't find out some horrible incriminating story about them later on. I just think that it'd be too much for (his supporters) to handle.
But anyway, so that I don't ruin the mood I have today, I just want to call attention to the way pop culture has become mainstream, even in politics. Did ya'll catch the way his wife gave him some dap right before he gave his speech last night?
I almost fell off my couch laughing when I saw this.
First off, the first person I ever saw do that bump on TV was Howie Mandel and 
that's because he has OCD and shaking hands gives him the 'heebie jeebies.'
For the record, OCD is obsessive compulsive disorder. There are different degrees of it. The way I understand it is folks with OCD like everything done a certain way. Everything must be that way at all times or they spaz out.
I've always said those people have a tick. Apparently, his tick is excessively washing hands and being in the business of show business, he's constantly meeting people and he had to do something to not seem rude, so, he gives people dap.
The only other guy I've ever seen on TV who gives dap is Stephen Colbert (pronounced Cole-bear). Stephen Colbert is THE MAN,OK!
That is one of the funniest dudes on TV right now. If you never watch the Colbert Report on Comedy Central, I challenge you to do so. If you're here, that means you are sort of a political junky and I know you'd find his brand of humor as hilarious as I do.
He's even renamed it the "Colbert Bump" and he gives one to people every time they come on the show. He even gave one to both Barack and Michelle Obama in separate appearances on the show. That is what made the whole thing funny as crap to me.
Now that Obama is the nominee and John McCain makes it his business to run around trying to do what Obama does, I guess he'll find a way to give his wife some 'dap.' I can't wait to see how.
This question could be in vain, but I'm dying to know if you guys watched the results on CNN last night. Actually, I only want to know if you happened to catch the banter between Anderson Cooper and Donna Brazile.
I won't insult your intelligence and tell you who Anderson Cooper is, but you might need me to refresh your memory about Donna Brazile. I could sit here and type and tell you why she is the best political analyst on CNN, but I won't do that.
I'll just tell you that she's a Louisiana native and you can hear it in every word she says. She graduated from LSU and later became the first black woman to direct a major presidential campaign when she was the campaign manager for the Al Gore campaign in 2000. Now she's known for her commentary of this year's primary elections.
Anyway, all of this relates to pop culture because of an exchange between her and A.C. last night during an analysis of the elections and Obama's nomination.
Take a look:
I almost fell off my couch laughing when I saw this.
First off, the first person I ever saw do that bump on TV was Howie Mandel and 
that's because he has OCD and shaking hands gives him the 'heebie jeebies.'
For the record, OCD is obsessive compulsive disorder. There are different degrees of it. The way I understand it is folks with OCD like everything done a certain way. Everything must be that way at all times or they spaz out.
I've always said those people have a tick. Apparently, his tick is excessively washing hands and being in the business of show business, he's constantly meeting people and he had to do something to not seem rude, so, he gives people dap.
The only other guy I've ever seen on TV who gives dap is Stephen Colbert (pronounced Cole-bear). Stephen Colbert is THE MAN,OK!
That is one of the funniest dudes on TV right now. If you never watch the Colbert Report on Comedy Central, I challenge you to do so. If you're here, that means you are sort of a political junky and I know you'd find his brand of humor as hilarious as I do.
He's even renamed it the "Colbert Bump" and he gives one to people every time they come on the show. He even gave one to both Barack and Michelle Obama in separate appearances on the show. That is what made the whole thing funny as crap to me.
Now that Obama is the nominee and John McCain makes it his business to run around trying to do what Obama does, I guess he'll find a way to give his wife some 'dap.' I can't wait to see how.
This question could be in vain, but I'm dying to know if you guys watched the results on CNN last night. Actually, I only want to know if you happened to catch the banter between Anderson Cooper and Donna Brazile.
I won't insult your intelligence and tell you who Anderson Cooper is, but you might need me to refresh your memory about Donna Brazile. I could sit here and type and tell you why she is the best political analyst on CNN, but I won't do that.
I'll just tell you that she's a Louisiana native and you can hear it in every word she says. She graduated from LSU and later became the first black woman to direct a major presidential campaign when she was the campaign manager for the Al Gore campaign in 2000. Now she's known for her commentary of this year's primary elections.
Anyway, all of this relates to pop culture because of an exchange between her and A.C. last night during an analysis of the elections and Obama's nomination.
Take a look:
Listen, in the distance ...
... I think I hear Hillary warming up her vocal cords. If she's not, she oughta be.
She said it wasn't going to be over until the lady in the pant suit sings. Well somebody cue the band to play the opening bars of "Send In the Clowns," and tell Pantasia it's time.
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