xpost from Daily Kos

To all you Wobblers,

So you thought it was going to be a cakewalk?

Welcome to the real world.  

You thought change was going to be pretty.  And that the lions were going to lay down and let it happen.

Nope.  But this is the time to show your resolve.  If you are not willing, then move on, nothing to see here.

If you choose to continue, warning, there will be blood.

I sense that some of you can not handle the heat.  And that is just what the MSM was counting on.  Especially Faux News Nation.

That tape did not come out for the people who were never going to vote for Senator Obama.  It came out for YOU. Just for you.  Don't you feel special? Cut and spliced, just like you like it.  Scary.  A black man saying  'God Damn America.'  Thank God he didn't have a gun!  

They already manipulated you to think that a flag lapel pin is a patriotic indicator.  That you must be shifty, untrustworthy if you do not put your hand over your heart when the Star-Spangled Banner or National Anthem or their song of choice plays.

They got you jumping through so many hoops that you do not even go BALLISTIC when the report comes out that after 600,000 pages were looked through, they could not find anything that connected Iraq to Al-Queada.  

You are jumping through hoops as BILLIONS are spent on the war and I bet that you, like myself, don't know where it went.  But do you even care?

You are jumping through fiery hoops while THOUSANDS have died and are wounded in Iraq and there were no weapons of mass destruction. None, nada, didn't find a single one. I bet there are some people over there going, "God Damn America."   I'm willing to take bets on that.

And you do nothing? Say nothing?  Are you not going crazy with rage???

Well I guess not, because you are all so worried about Senator Obama's ex pastor.  That is the most important news in Faux News Nation.

They might as well put a ring through your nose and lead you around because you need them to tell you what to do and how to feel. When to be outraged and when to feel joy.  They play you like a violin.  They know which notes will make the beautiful music of your FEAR.

Do you really think that the MSM has your best interests at heart after all of this?

Pastor Wright is fiery and if you have seen the whole tape, know the history of the country you profess to love then you would know that the preacher was not too far off his mark.  He was not just talking to his congregation, he could be easily talking to you, trying to tell you something that you should hear. It is not just Black people getting screwed.  They think you are niggers too, even though you got white skin.  They'll send your sons and daughters to be cannon fodder to line their pockets as well.   His words may not be easy to hear, but time after time, they screw all of us.

But perhaps you just want ... snake oil sold by flag pin wearing, hand over the heart patriotic ASSHOLES who laugh all the way to the bank while you shill out $4.00/gallon for your car.

Pastor Wright is a veteran of our armed forces, has work for years against social injustice and he lived in a time of 'strange fruit', which is the term used for bodies hanging from trees after being lynched.  In his own country, that he fought for.  So understand that he may be ... over the top.

With that said, Pastor Wright is NOT Senator Obama.  And if you can not separate that, will not see that, then I believe that we're all fucked yet again.  

PS - I am angry because I had HOPED that we could do better than this.  There is no spoon!

"Don't get fooled again."  The Who

Janeo

I love that quote from Frank Herbert’s Dune.

This is just my opinion after reading sooooo many diaries about electability and Pastor Wright and Congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro.  I am a Senator Obama supporter just so you know right up front.  I posted this on Daily Kos buy was inspired by my readings at the Cafe yesterday.

FEAR.

I believe that we, the American people are victims of a misled furor of patriotism that led us into Iraq where we killed the head of state and his family members, tortured, maimed, and have Iraqis and Americans dead and wounded in the thousands.  The person and persons who sent us there wear flag lapel pins and probably put their hands over their hearts for the National Anthem and the Star Spangled Banner.

Faux News are these peoples' propaganda machine. And people trusted them.  After 600,000 pages, billions of dollars, and thousands dead and wounded, they find there is no connection between Al Queada and Iraq.... which people in this community have been saying for years.  Project for the New American Century is their religion.  GWB served 2 terms.  And he has nearly destroyed this country under the weight of debt.  Where did all the money go?  I guess we were so busy being scared that we didn’t notice? You want someone that 'safe' in office?  One you can have a beer with, and the beer is spiked with FEAR?

See where FEAR got us?  See what FEAR fueled?  From FEAR we will inherit many awful things.  I bet there are many Iraqis who are really angry.  This FEAR led us as if we were blind.  FEAR of not having electability probably had a smart woman vote for the Iraqi war.

So, after the video on youtube of Senator Barack's ex-Pastor, are you not voting for him now? Because it was scary that he said those things about America not being blessed, that chickens come home to roost and that the White Man has screwed us?  (translation: White Man=Establishment.  That's the dated part for me.  Historically for us it was the White men hosing us down in the streets of the south or stripping us naked on a major street to search us, for making us sit in the back of the bus, not drink from the same water fountains, come in the back door, not serve us at gas stations and lynching us.... I am not yet 50 but I have memories of some of this as a child. )  Was any of it lies?  The Establishment has screwed us and I do have a difficult time getting a cab in NYC and Washington DC.  It got so bad that my White friends hailed the cab, I tell you no lie and I was sure mad as hell about it.  And embarrassed and appalled.

So all of this makes Senator Obama less electable. Correct? Or is this just some Senator McCain or Senator Clinton talking point that you've embraced and are running with because there is unease that Senator Obama is an unknown?  Your doubts are creeping in.  Is he too good to be true?  Probably, he's just a man, a smart man.  There is FEAR.

For Senator Obama supporters and people who are still trying to decide, (IMHO) I say that it is time for us to be brave, really brave.

This Pastor Wright is sermonizing (lessons) to his church.  At my church I don't embrace everything my Priest tells me. Do you?  Does Senator Obama?  Is he smart enough to have his own thoughts?  You're unsure because you still don't know who this African-American is; who African-Americans are.  We are all of you.  We are of African descent.  We can also be part Hispanic, Native American, Irish, French, German, Indian, Arab, Japenese, Chinese, Korean, Norwegian, Swedish, Italian or any mix there of. We are Americans, a motley crew just like the rest of the country. Our skin ranges from pale to dark.  We are beautiful just like everyone else. We all have our stories.

America is not just pretty, it is beautiful, but there is anger.  The anger of Pastor Wright who saw his family members hanging from trees is nothing compared to the anger of generations of people from Native Americans who were here, to African Americans, some of which were dragged here, to Immigrants who fled here.  This anger is piled up and simmering, just below the surface.  And why is everyone angry?  Injustice, and lots of it.  Because the establishment has played us off each other from the beginning of American time to keep those that have, in power, and those that don’t, fighting amongst each other.  Having fear of each other.  I truly believe that a mother in the Bronx has the same desires for her children as a mother in Utah.  Safety, good health and education.  Just from that, we can find more things in common. Build on our sameness and not our differences.  We are a beautiful people from Brad Pitt, to Halle Berry to me, my Europeon husband to Markos’ baby, Denzel Washington, to all of you.

What are we going to do about it?  Shy away in FEAR from each other?  Or will we not fall into this trap yet again.

If we are going to go into this walk together, and I hope that we do, if we are going to take responsibility on this changing of America...all of us Americans, are going to be in for some inconvenient truths, everyone.  There are racists, there are sexists, there are some not very nice people abounding.  And another truth is that there are many angry people, African Americans as well.  And have been for generations and out of that rises a gem like Senator Obama whom I believe has taken what is excellent from his background and translated it to where he can be a wonderful President of our country.  He is bright, engaging, and has experience.  He is cool, calm and collected.  He is inspirational for many people and we are going to need a good dose of inspiration to get us through the next years. Americans across the country thought so as well.  He is in the lead of the primary.  So if you are going to vote for an African-American, know that there are angry people around. But we have lived with this anger for centuries. I bet everyone is angry though. You probably got angry people in your family, so it is not a strange concept.  Geraldine Ferraro is really angry.  GWB, I’m not sure if he has feelings at all.... But here is a chance for Americans, to work together to make a difference and a video of a Pastor blows us off track and plays to whatever FEARS the MSM can use to make us dance like so many puppets.

Is the Pastor a bigot?  That is a hard one for me because I know his anger.  I have lived it myself and I am not a bigot. But I do not want to portray that it is only one group of people’s fault.  The Status Quo is at fault and it oppresses many of us, African American, European Americans, Gay, Lesbians, women...anyone who is not in lock step with the Status Quo is road kill.  But the Pastor is angry.  And my take on it is that he is angry about Injustice.  Maybe it is the same way for Geraldine Ferraro.  She’s of that age where things were different.  Is she a bigot?  The fact is that Senator Obama is qualified and has worked hard to get where he is and to lessen that with an affirmative action statement sounds like a talking point to lessen his electability and play into the FEARS. But is there fairness in politics or is it just always politics?  I think she was playing politics and that is my take on it.  An African American or woman or any other minority has to somehow prove that they are worthy beyond affirmative action and as a activist for equality for woman, I found her comments disturbing because she threw another minority under the bus to bolster up her raison d’etre.  Senator Obama has not done that.  Senator Clinton, well she endorsed the Republican Senator John McCain over Senator Obama and that was just in so many ways very wrong.  Senator '100 more years in Iraq?' McCain, need I say more?

I believe that this is the real deal for all of us. I am not voting against anyone.  I have a candidate that I can vote for.  And that is really refreshing.  And it is not with FEAR.  It is with HOPE.

Senator Obama has distanced himself from his ex-Pastor a few months ago.  Will he have to do it every time? Every week?  Everyday?  Just to make you feel safe?  Does he have to wear a flag pin and eat Freedom fries?  If he does, then you best vote for John McCain or Senator Clinton.  I believe that they will give us the same ole same ole shit. FEAR.  

I believe that Senator Obama will give us a challenge to rise above our differences and reach a great potential the we as Americans are capable of.  But we have to really want it in order to not get sent off track by the MSM who loves to trip us up.  We have power.  But only if we stand united.

The President cannot do anything alone unless we give up our power to them.  Under FEAR George Bush Jr. was able to tap our phones, go to war, spend billons of dollars (and who knows whose pocket that is in).  While we were in FEAR, many people died in our name.

We have to help by staying involved.  All the passion that we see in the primary season should not end in January 2009.  We need to take responsibility and vote and be on top of the issues of our communities.  Be informed.  We have to help each other as well. We have time to watch TV, write diaries, comment and play World of Warcraft  (ok that is my time sink...), certainly we have time to educate ourselves about the issues of the country and pertinent issues of the world. I do not believe that the primary, the general election or the Presidency will be a cakewalk.  In fact I believe it will be damn difficult.  Senator Obama will not be able to do a quick fix.  We are in deep kaka for a time, but I believe that he will put us on track to move away from a FEAR based country to a country empowered to make change and do change.   He was ready on day 1 of his campaign and I believe that he will be ready on day 1 of his Presidency.

Positive change. And with that energy we can do wonders and make this country great for us.  It is a long-term goal for the sake of future generations.  And we can truly be the home of the brave.  In fact, we are pretty brave already...but somewhere along the way we got distracted.  Let us not get distracted now.

Peace

There is no doubt in my mind that Congresswoman Ferraro meant exactly what she said and firmly believes it.  If we can understand where she is coming from, we might be able to see her point and see it as less of a racist reaction but more of a reaction of a person who knows what it is to be a token…whatever.  That was what she was when she ran with Walter Mondale.  How that plays with her mind is evident to me as she framed what she said.  And I sense that there may be bitterness that the woman candidate is not on top, but another ‘minority’.  She may even believe in the ‘concept’ thingie and that it should be Senator Clinton’s concept that we should be enamored with.  And a white man is not even invited to the concept party.

 

I think how we should react is with firmly saying that this is not what Senator Barack is about.   He is clearly qualified and in my mind, he is absolutely the better candidate.  It is Senator Clinton’s fault that she came into this race unprepared on day one.  It is her own fault that her campaign has been mismanaged and not giving the people a clear message like Senator Barack.  Do not blame the other person for Senator Clinton’s shortcomings.  Congresswoman Ferraro does not believe that which is fine, but with all this racist claims going about, it is a nice trap for us to fall in for the media’s benefit and it narrows this race down to black and white in stead of who is the better candidate.  This is the thing, the real thing.  The black and white thing is more explosive and more accessible to peoples’ emotions, while the subtly of ‘minorities’ clawing at each other for the spotlight goes missing.  There may be some resentment in some areas where they believe that Senator Obama is stealing this Presidential race from Senator Clinton who they think is due it.

 

So the media defines this moment and it plays to some peoples’ racial baggage that I believe is hindering us as a country and the message of Senator Obama.  After some thought from my first knee-jerk reaction, I admit that I was angry at the comment, but after some thought I believe that the Senator Obama’s campaign should frame this to show that he is better than Senator Clinton for President and it goes beyond race and gender-whose turn it is, etc.  My sense is that one of the reasons Senator Clinton is not doing as well as she might have thought she should be doing is that she came into this race with a sense of entitlement as well as having to deal with Senator Obama’s strategy for the 50 states campaign.  In addition the American people are desperate for a change after 16 years.  The people picked up on it and here we are today. His campaign has generally been run very tight and very impressively.  It shows.

 

Congresswoman Ferraro should know better than to say what she said.  But in the politics of gender and race, which is a world that I believe she lives in, it is the only way that she can see it.  Senator Obama’s campaign can use this to show why he is indeed a candidate for change and it would benefit him much more than taking what she said and dismissing it as only a racist remark.  That places into the media circus, out of his control and for them to spin it until it has solid legs and is walking side by side with him.