Barack H. Obama was elected by the majority of the population of the United States of America and will be sworn in to office at noon today, fantastic. In his own words, "Did I mention that he is black?" This is a remarkable period in American history. In the last century we have broken these racial shackles that have held back progressive thinking. It is about damn time! Judging a man by the color of his skin is not only racist, but also shows a lack of intelligence and a dying institution. There are obviously still some jackasses out there that will judge someone on the color of their skin and not the content of their character. However, We the People, have elected a black[i] person as president and this is a huge leap forward in equality and human progress.
That being said, I am not happy with the outcome of the election nor am I content with the reaction of the people. The elderly, the middle-aged, and the youth alike, are in some type of celebratory worshiping trance. Obama was a state senator, community organizer, and a U.S. senator for less than four years. He hasn't shown any exemplary actions and has done nothing to be considered a pertinent candidate for president. I do not have a problem with a new face to the presidency, nevertheless I do have a problem with a cult following and blind support of a man who has DONE NOTHING.
Obama has done nothing but get elected and yet people have purchased millions of dollars of promotional items with his face on it. When Obama stops walking Hollywood's noses go right up his you know what. He has Oprah talking about how great he is, Ellen Degeneres promoting him on her show, and the other shills make this man out to be a savior. Teachers in schools are praising him to their students, children are shouting his name in the streets. I own a silk screening business and we have made thousands of Obama shirts. I am not saying that a little optimism isn't good, but this man has DONE NOTHING! We actually had a customer come in with a design that had Barrack Obama's face and Martin Luther King Jr.'s face on the front. The shirt had King saying, "I have a dream" and it had Obama saying, "I am the dream." I literally got nauseous.
Yes, like I said it is great that this country has elected a black president and we should be proud. But we should be proud of ourselves! We should look at each other and realize the differences that we have overcome. We should unite in peace and realize that we the people can make actual change happen. Race is not an issue to most people anymore and race should not be made an issue anymore. Martin Luther King Jr. predicted a black president, but I believe he would be pretty upset at the current situation in the country today. He would see Obama slinging empty promises like crack rocks in the ghetto, just to get elected. He would listen to people say, "I voted for Obama and now I don't have to pay for gas or make my house note," and he would absolutely abhor the current state of dependency on the state. He would see Obama talk about how "main street" needs help, and then give nine trillion to wall street and a tear would come to his eye.
I believe that if the great King would come back to life today that he would say this, "Wake the hell up America! Why are you sniveling at the feet of these rich elitists waiting for a scrap of subsistence to be dropped to you? How can you be so dependent on a government as corrupt as this one? Is this why I was killed fighting for you? So forty years later you can be a bunch of babies waiting for a handout while our freedom and liberty is being squandered by the ruling class. Do you define the PATRIOT Act as freedom ringing? Do you classify the welfare state as free at last? You have a lot more work to do America, do not go to sleep now. Do not be distracted by this man promising these delusions of grandeur while doing the complete opposite. Do not lose the sight of what I was really talking about, 'I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality.' and we have a long way to go before that is actually a reality."
I am proud of this country for looking past its racial boundaries and differences and this is where I find my hope and motivation for change. I see people realizing that superficial physical attributes are not the defining traits of a person. My hope will keep me fighting for change. I will never be content and I will never trust the rhetoric of the election process as the policy of a leader. I will always be skeptical and I will always have to see the change before I spend any of it.
[i] I say black instead of African American, because I believe the latter to be incredibly racist, how about simply "American." Adding the title African implies a second class or "half of" label, so I use the term black as a skin color description only.
©2009 -savoy, all rights reserved. You must have written permission from the author in order to republish this work.
Published: Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Last modified: Tuesday, January 20, 2009
The views expressed in this article are those of -savoy only and do not represent the views of Nolan Chart, LLC or its affiliates. -savoy is solely responsible for the contents of this article and is not an employee or otherwise affiliated with Nolan Chart, LLC in his/her role as a columnist.
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Reader Comments:
Posted By: LibertarianBlue
Date: 2009-01-20 10:41:46
I think Jake defender of the Consitution or Jafire I forget which one said it best: its not change we can believe in its CHAINS we can believe in. I also would agree that MLK would have been very sadened by the current state of the country and how Obama shows no signs of changing the direction. We are in for one hell of a ride.
Posted By: Jake, the champion of the constitution
Date: 2009-01-20 18:36:22
LibertarianBlue -
Glad you like my phrasing.
Dear -savoy -
I fully agree with the basic sentiments in your article and liked the way you expressed them with the exception of "crack rocks" - I think there you are touching upon some of the stereotypes that you are trying to avoid.
As far as that "I am the Dream" T-shirt, feel free to counter it with this design - slogan of "CHAINS" You Can Believe In, with Obama's mug ringed by the "O" except have the O wrapped up with chains. If I ever make it back to the US, I might buy it too.
Posted By: -savoy
Date: 2009-01-20 19:23:56
Jake, bro, The crack rock analogy was one of sarcasm and a bit of truth. I guess it was a little harsh but I look at the welfare state and the drug war as one in the same...Both are perpetuated as good intentions but neither one works, nor are either of them backed by good intentions. Also both of them are lies to carry on the establishment’s view of righteous and just, and neither of them is either.
Posted By: Justin
Date: 2009-01-21 08:04:01
Well, at least Bush did not declare martial law and suspend the transfer of power. :)
You know I was for Ron Paul but I have hope for Obama. He taught Constitutional law for ten years so I'd wager he has a better understanding of it than Bush did. We can be sure that Obama will have a bigger government that Ron Paul envisioned, but Obama has actually stated that he intends to go "line by line" through government programs to get rid of inefficiency. He also said a few years ago, "If there's an Arab American family being rounded up without benefit of an attorney or due process, that threatens my civil liberties."
Stuff like that makes me think he might do some good. However, I will judge him by his actions and am prepared to be wrong.
Posted By: Master C
Date: 2009-01-21 12:31:21
It's not CHAINS we can believe in, it's GAMES we can play in!
It's not CHAINS we can believe in, it's RAINS we can grow in!
It's not CHAINS we can believe in, it's BLAME we can DETAIN!
It's not CHAINS we can believe in ~ it's EXCHANGING TRAINS who inflict PAIN on our GAINS that PERTAIN to REFRAINS that REMAIN from the INSANE who can't EXPLAIN the CHANGE that occurs in their BRAINS.
Master C
Posted By: -savoy
Date: 2009-01-21 20:05:36
Master C, what a heart warming poem.
Justin, ""If there's an Arab American family being rounded up without benefit of an attorney or due process, that threatens my civil liberties."" What, so Obama is only worried about Arab families? What about old girl on the plane? You are a terrorist aren't you? :)
Posted By: Justin
Date: 2009-01-22 06:28:18
Yep, I get drunk on the plane and cuss and throw juice on the floor.....I am a terrorist!