I'm So Proud of You... America

I'm so proud of you America.  It has been a good year for a nation that is pushing 235.  This year you went out of your way to renew your promise to all your children, that no matter what background, face or race, you can achieve something great in the United States of America with hard work and a good education.  Did I mention you became the first Western nation to elect a man of color to its highest office in the land? What a year you have had.  Something great really came out of you in 2008.

America, you have shrugged off some of your darkest days of racial turbulence that was generated during the Civil Rights Era to produce a leader that really represents the diversity of your great land.  Just forty years ago, just one generation ago, your land said it was free, but your children were separated in almost every way they navigated your hills and valleys.  My parents tell stories of segregated schools, restaurants, water fountains, even music concerts. Now, we share everything, especially the hope for something greater that can come for your renewed promise.

Some theorist have given the name of black plight in the U.S. the 'slave mind'.  This is a theory of mental limitations that have been placed on a people, from generations of failure and lost dreams, to eventual acceptance of goals and rules that are less than what can be accepted for the majority culture.  This is the idea that obviously stems from slavery, "I am a slave.  My children will become slaves." as the cycle continues with no hope to become anything more. This wasn't that long ago.  My grandfather's grandfather was born in slavery, and there is no record of my family history past that because of trade.  That is why I am so proud of you today America.  To rise from the ashes of your own internal flame to let all your children shine down, on the message that there is nothing false about hope.    

An MSNBC commercial advertisement stated that "presidents can change lives", perhaps that could not be more true than with Barack Obama.  A black man in this country that has risen to the top of American culture without acting in a blockbuster movie, or singing a grammy winning album, or dribbling a basketball... well that last one is in question, but you know what I mean.  A man that has achieved prominence with proficiency of his intellect and hard work, not some act of pop culture.  I just can't stop smiling that all of this happened here, only could have happened here, in America.

 

Putting Integrity First

First off, before I get into any argument on ideology or American policy throughout history, I have to say that John McCain is not George Wallace.  Nor is John McCain a racist in any capacity, but his campaign has been treading on the other side of the line for weeks.  I will go as far as saying that an observer of the McCain campaign could possibly believe he or she woke up in a time machine and went back to 1968.  That is the problem.  We deserve more from our politics than cloaking fear and hatred with the idea of a "tough campaign".

John Lewis was not speaking out of turn last week.  In America, we cannot afford to ever turn a blind eye to intolerance.  There is a responsibility that comes with public office and public service and the ability to put people ahead of a political agenda should be at the top of the list. 

"Off with his head," or monkey dolls with Obama stickers should not be tolerated EVER! PERIOD!  Could you imagine the backlash if Obama supporters held up a G.I. Joe doll, with a McCain sticker, hanging from a stick.

Talking about pal"ling" around with terrorist.  The most prolific terrorist organization in American history is the Ku Klux Klan.  If you watched the debates on Wednesday, you heard John McCain say how proud he is of all the people that support him, and come to his rallies. Look at what the republican campaign has been building upon the last two months.  Republican campaign surrogates haven't even tried to hide their agenda for the racial attacks on Obama. And just for the record, when they say "we want to turn the page from the economic crisis, and make this campaign about character," what they really mean is that they want to make the campaign about race/religious anxieties/even his name. For the republican campaign, they see McCain's personal "character" easy for them to defend.  John McCain is white, a war veteran (hero), and oh did I mention that he is white.  He is just like you or your grandpa, whatever works for you.

Maybe I am an idealist just disguised as a realist.  Or maybe I am just saddened by the recent campaign efforts of a man that I truly admired.  I remember yelling with my parents, who are card-carrying democrats, after seeing the Clinton campaign wallow in the mud during the the Democratic primaries.  I told them that I am firmly against race politics, and I am going to vote for John McCain in November if Hillary won the nomination.  I want the 2000 John McCain Back!  He wouldn't pander to these hate filled crazies that are coming to his campaign rallies, because that John McCain was better than that.  Maybe the 2008 John McCain, could put his integrity first. 

Who is protected by handguns?

For the first time in American history, the legitimacy of handgun, or any gun, restriction was brought to a United States Supreme Court this year. The verdict was passed with at 5 to 4 majority overturning a 70 year old decision that the Second Amendment to the Constitution is granting the right to operate militias instead of a personal right to bear arms. The decision hinged on the the ability to own and carry a handgun for the right to protect one's self, and the opportunity to hunt. So I find it necessary to ask, what are we hunting with a handgun --- besides people? This brings up the question, are handguns necessary for modern American society?


In the year 2008, what would Joe Citizen use a handgun to do? Could the primary purpose be self/family defense? I guess, but wouldn't your person and family be safer with a shotgun? Not to mention that a novice shooter would be much more accurate with a shotgun than pistol. Could the reason be the that Joe just doesn't feel that the government's police forces are an adequate crime stopping force and needs to enlist his own version of handheld justice? Who knows? I will suggest that it is none of the above.

The reason people Joe wants to retain the clasp of his handgun is not for safety or protection of his family, it is for the rush and feeling of power. The power of god that only a man with a gun can possess. What more does Joe Citizen in the U.S. love more than power. That is why we shout "drill baby drill" from the gallows at the Republican National Convention, even though drilling won't help domestic gas prices. Americans love power, or at least the appearance thereof, that is why our culture has embraced the Sopranos, Scarface, rap music, and the Iraq War (at first).

Guns do not protect people from anything besides safety. Guns by definition perpetuate violence. Adding guns to any situation makes that situation more lethal. So with that being the case, why does a 21st century United States Supreme Court support 18th century politics? That question I cannot answer, but if we don't embrace our fellow citizens of the world and stop resorting to violence as the only option, the American analogy as the modern-day comparison to Rome could hold more truth than we have ever imagined.

Op-Ed Columnist - The Palin-Whatshisname Ticket - Op-Ed - NYTimes.com

As my few readers know, I write to display my opinions, and in no means do I attempt to convert anyone, but to inform people of my perspective. I read an article today that was excellent and I wanted to share it. This is the way I want to write, this article is what I want my blog to become... only penned by Lew.

Check out this link:

Op-Ed Columnist - The Palin-Whatshisname Ticket - Op-Ed - NYTimes.com

Racism vs. Sexism... Is that all there is?

This has been a very interesting political season, especially on the democratic side of the ballot box.  2008 is really turning into a historical year in presidential politics.  The Democrats have a heated battle for the nomination with former First Lady, Hillary Clinton (and New York Senator) and Senator Barack Obama being the last two nominees standing.  Beyond the typical political excitement of a presidential election, this one will have either an African-American man or a woman at the head of a major party ticket for the first time ever, so the diversity spices up the pot as well.  Unfortunately our politics and emotions have turned this election cycle from a celebration of American political progress into a grade school squabble over blacks versus women, and fighting over who is more oppressed.

First off, we all learn in the second or third grade that we cannot compare unlike objects.  The historical systematic oppression of black people in this country and the historical systematic oppression and separation of women from several avenues of influence and power in this country are BOTH real, but they are not one in the same.  This is not apples to apples.  This comparison is not even apples to oranges.  At least with apples and oranges, both of the objects are fruits.  The comparison of racism versus sexism is apples to bicycles!  

There was a time in this country when black people were property in this country, and during that same time white women were married to those powers that be, some possibly slave owners, some were not.  It is understood that women have not been treated equally by men or provided them the opportunity to participate in many of the processes of government via voting rights or homeowners rights, or in the workplace, I can keep going on. I don't see how that could be considered similar, especially when this does not account for all women.  Are Latino or African-American women exempt from feeling this way, because their experiences are definitely different.

Why are we spinning our wheels on trying to decide who has it harder?  Is it African-American people or Caucasian women?  The answer is, it does not matter.  We all have to work with the cards we are dealt, and play our hand.  The citizens of this country should think really hard about how far we have come as a nation in just the last forty years.  No, things are not perfect here and they will never be, but that doesn't mean that the way we improve one segment of society is to tear the others down.  We are a complex nation of complex people and to limit the discussion and frame the argument to just racism versus sexism is cheating everyone.  This argument is not all there is in American politics.

More than fate in 08

A new year brings a sense of reflection, hope, and the opportunity to measure how far we have come in society through the years.  One sign in the Obama camp may have put it best: "GOT HOPE?"  2008 provides a very special chance to do all of these things, as a presidential election year, american society from all walks of life will rally around issues of governance and politics.  In this year's election for president history will be made, with the withdrawl of John Edwards from the democratic nomination process, leaves the last two contestants standing.... Hillary Clinton (the first woman presidential candidate nominee) and Barack Obama (the first African American presidential candidate nominee).  Whether either of these candidates wins the national election for the presidency that is another thing, but for just this moment, we can can look back and see the progress of our society.  As I see it, it has been long overdue to have a woman or an African-American in the White House.  This article is not about the president, I want to put some attention on a few other things that have been missing in contemporary American Society for a long time like health care for everyone regardless of financial situation, equal schooling for every child, and a way to initiate immigrants into society so they can fully take advantage of the American dream.

Politicians slide from one side of the isle to the other on healthcare.  It is time for people to stand up and say that making national healthcare a priority is IMPERATIVE for the wellbeing of future generations in this country.  We can no longer thwart the lives of people just because we think having a national healthcare system is the gateway to communism.  As we see with things like presidential elections in this country, change may take a long time in the United States, and this change from old conventional wisdom needs to happen now.  Look around everyone, we won, communism is not a threat to the American way of life.  How long will it take to get caught up with our allies like England and the rest of the developed world?

The public education system is a joke in this country.  How can the education of the next generation of leaders be subjected to the political pandering of rich families from state to state. As I see it, your education status shouldn't depend on whether your mother and father bought a house/condo in a well to do suburb or pocket of a city.  What happens to the children that were not given the opportunity to learn from the best teachers or given the resources to succeed developmentally?  They get left behind, and cannot compete for scholarships and college entrance.  If a student graduates from high school and goes to Harvard, Yale or Stanford its not because he or she is the brightest but had parents that put him or her in the position to succeed.  If we were in the Olympics and two runners got to start at the 50 meter mark and the other 6 had to start at the starting line, the two runners with the head start wouldn't be awarded a Gold or Silver metal.  In this country we are building and maintaining a permanent underclass and that has to stop!

In newspapers and from politicians we hear about immigration reform, but what we really need is a more comprehensive change to the way we look at people coming in to this country. Throughout American history, immigrants have been detested and opposed by the masses. Why? Are we so afraid that we will lose our jobs to illegal immigrants that we spout off secondary racism?  The way I see it, the American public needs to rise above the fear of a stagnant job market or looking at the world through the lenses of a hunter-gatherer.  We need to evolve, and I know these changes take time, hopefully they will be made in our lifetime.  As spoken in the movie the Great Debaters, "the time for justice, the time for freedom and the time for equality is always right now!"  We can make these things happen, and remind our hearts and minds that there is more than fate in 08.