The Danger...

.......I wrote of on Jan. 28 in an E titled, "It's not about race", looms closer on the horizon today. In that e I asked," Will they( Obama supporters) accept a defeat if non-black voters do not support the Senator and then claim, "It's not about race"? It would now appear non-black voters are supporting the Senator in at least enough numbers to give him the nomination.

Now I worry that Senator Obama could win the majority of delegates and the popular vote, and then lose because of the "super delegates", thus, igniting deeply held feelings of racial inequity that would result in rioting and social unrest. Possibly civil war.

IF I was a Black American and Sen. Obama was the popular vote and delegate winner, and then somehow was not the candidate, I would question everything about America . And regardless of the visible, initial reactions, the designation of Hillary Clinton as the Democratic nominee without a clear cut victory would be a devisive disaster for the nation; An alienating action to Black Americans that would set race relations back fifty years.

It's obvious The Clinton campaign is not going to concede. On the contrary, the more the nomination appears to slip from Hillary's hands, the nastier she and Bill become ! Is she enough of a stateswoman to gracefully bow out for the good of the party and the election of a Democrat? HELL NO....... But would the Clintons and the Party pull some political, backdoor, curveball in order to win the nomination for Hillary, even at the expense of the nations race relations? That's what "Florida and Michigan recounts", and "super delegates" sound like, to me. That would be dangerous to the nation as as whole.

An additional danger is if the campaign continues to be ugly and escalates any further then it already should not have, the democrats will weaken themselves to the point McBush could win. Now thats dangerous.

But, when political strategists theorize one candidates supporters will be so turned off by the other candidates nomination that they will not vote, or switch affiliation and vote Republican, I believe it could be much worse: I dare say it, "If Sen.Obama goes into the convention with the most delegates, He damn well better come out the nominee".

Or we can play "Burning down the House". In other words, Black America is supporting Senator Obama in the 90+ percentiles, should by some hook or crook Hillary Clinton get the nomination, and Black America see it as a robbery, I can almost see Oprah throwing Molotav cocktails! After the Gore\2001 robbery and eight years of Bush, I may want to join the revolution. (can't bite the hand that feeds me).

I'll repeat my words of Jan28;

The Obama campaign promises to illustrate how tolerant, mature, evolved, and hypocritical we are as a nation. And I dare say it now: It is about race, and a myriad of other qualities that have nothing to do with race, but, should Senator Obama lose, "race" will then be a major issue. If he wins: History marches on, he's the first, there will be others.

In the coming months, America will learn something about her people: They don't live in a Grey World.

Red state, Blue state, Revealing me and you state.

In the now infamous words of the Reverend Wright, " Hillary Clinton will never know what it's like to be a black man in a society and culture controlled by rich white men." Neither does anybody else whom isn't a black man, I would imagine, BUT, the Reverend seems to know of a frustration, or anger, or power hidden deep within the unsatisfied souls of his delegation. Watch the congregation as they nod and agree with his words.They seem to know what the Reverend is speaking of. These are affluent Blacks whom lack for nothing, yet they share the Reverends feelings. And in the event that Senator Obama should get cheated out of the nomination for President, those feelings will become dangerous. It will be like a war cry to revolt against a society and culture controlled by rich white men.

It's Not About Race

It was raining here earlier. My mother called and she told me that it was snowing where she lives. She's forty miles from me. I was glad it wasn't snowing here. Rain is warmer.
After her call, it took ten minutes; the drops in the sky start to float and the world is transformed to an indistinct grey. All becomes the same, linked and inherent to the snow; the grey world. White-grey, grey-green, cloud-grey, frosted-grey. Grey pictures, black and white in color (I've included some from the perch). All is grey. All is related.

I see that Senator Obama won the South Carolina Primary Saturday. That is not surprising. But something must be or I wouldn't have brought it up. After the victory, I believe during the Senators victory speech, the chant in the background was "It's not about race." I don't think the Senator was comfortable with that... either. The Senator has tried hard to keep 'race' a non-issue. That is why I was surprised at the chant. Especially considering the overwhelming (80%) black support for Senator Obama in South Carolina. It was that support that won the state; Senator Obama only won about 25% of the white vote.
The victory doesn't bother me. Senator Obama is as appealing as any of the candidates. What bothers me is the chant. It was a lie: It was about race in South Carolina. It was about race when Oprah jumped into politics and endorsed Senator Obama. It was about race when those Obama supporters stood and chanted "It's not about race", or why else would they chant a denial to something that it wasn't about? And that is the bothersome part. Why deny the obvious?
Does America, or at least the South Carolina Obama supporter, fear the acknowledgment that we are still a racially divided natio (are we?)? I think what the South Carolina chanters were trying to express is the quality of Senator Obama's candidacy. That they were willing to vote for him for reason other then his being black. So will they accept a non racially bias defeat if non-black voters do not support the Senator and then claim that it's not about race?
I understand how voting for someone other than a white male (ie. a black male), is appealing to the 'black voter'. I could understand females supporting a female. Chinese supporting a Chinese, Catholics supporting Catholics etc. It is a credit and corroboration to the authenticity of Senator Obama's campaign that he can pull enough of the 'others' to be victorious. 'Others' being non-black voters. But let us not deny the obvious, so that when it doesn't favor our candidate, we aren't surprised, and possibly angry. Race is an everyday, major issue, and America being above it is the corresponding issue.
It's about gender too. It's about religion as well. Senator Kennedy jumped on the Obama band wagon today so now it's about the 'Kennedy' thing equally. Hell, it's about every dog and pony show you can think of, so don't try to tell me it's not about race. 80% is 80%. If Senator Obama does that well with any other segment of the population then it won't be about race.
The Obama campaign promises to illustrate not just how tolerant, mature, and evolved, but also how hypocritical we are as a nation. And I dare say it now- It is about race, and a myriad of other qualities that have nothing to do with race, but should Senator Obama lose, then 'race' will be a major issue. If he wins then history marches on; he's the first, there will be others. In the coming months, America will learn something about herself: we don't live in a grey world.

Red state, blue state,
Revealing me and you's state,
The State of affairs is nobody cares.
Just because they chant it, doesn't make it true.

Tomorrow, or maybe the next day, the blue of the sky will bust through the upper part of the grey world. The evergreens will be green in the sunlight. The yellow snowplow will reveal the shiny, wet, black pavement of my road. The white snow on the red skin of the Madrone tree will melt and reveal the colors of the world. red where it's red, white, black, green and dirty some places. It will all be there. UNDENIABLY!
The light of the truth, the grey, formless, who ya' gonna call gone, and all the colors of the world will return.
Be ready for it

Change We Can Believe In?

In 1976, America was wrapping up the Vietnam era. Americans did not want to be Imperialists. The Americans losing sons sure as hell didn't feel like the profits justified the cost. The Communist threat wasn't scaring the citizenry any longer. Like Muhhammad Ali said, "Ain't no Vietnamese done nothing to me."

Have we killed many Al Qaeda recently?

The dollar is worth less. That means everything else is more expensive. When an Empire is faltering their money is worth less... That's change you can believe in. Doesn't matter whether you believe it or not though, the reality is as it is.

In 1976, Americans elected Jimmy Carter President. President Carter was a peace loving man. At the end of his Presidency it was said, "not one American soldier had died in armed conflict during his Presidency". It was also during his Presidency that the price of oil first jumped toward that dollar figure has now tripled. I think I read, 'thus began the greatest transfer of wealth in history from one part of the world to another.' ...That was change we can believe in.

It was cool to be Sheik, and Georgetown had a lot of rich middle eastern kids partying in the clubs, driving expensive sport cars, being cool. Students in America with money...

It was also During the Carter administration that 'the Islamic Revolution' started, and coincidentally The Shah of Iran (a longtime Western Ally was removed). Oil supplies were interrupted. Gas prices forced lifestyle adjustments for the poor. And the middle class groaned a little.

...The Iranian students in America were caught on the wrong side of the line and the party ended a little soon for them. Empires do disappear ...That's a change we can believe in!

It was also during the Carter administration that Iran's leader, The Ayatollah Khomeini declared America, 'the Great Satan'.

Our Sovereign Soil in Iran (the American Embassy in Tehran) was seized and the American employees were taken hostage. Held until Ronald Reagan took office, altogether over a year later. It was a superpower held powerless.

The hostage incident was a disgrace and embarassment to The United States. The Ayatollah allowing Iranian 'students' to seize our Embassy in Tehran and hold the hostages for a year was an act of war, and when the United States didn't step up and kick their ass, well, it made us look weak (looking weak is not particularly good for an empire, especially an Imperialistic Empire). Iran has been attacking the United States ever since. They have raised two generations of American flag burning, freedom Haters. They say that America is a spreading an evil that must be annihilated. In the mind of the 'Holier than Thou', there is no negotiating with that evil. And until Iran gets a taste of that can of 'whoop ass' that they've been begging for going on thirty years, they will continue to disrespect the United States time and time again! ...That's a change we can believe in.

Is the Surge really working? Or is it a Republican ploy to elect Sen. John McCain? Do that and waste more money and lives trying to save the world (and steal oil that's ruining the place anyway) ...A change we can believe in: Alternate fuel sources.

President Carter set up an Alternate fuel Commision, but funding was cut from the budget once his administration left office. Something about our Empire shrinking. There is always a grab for the money going on, and on the fringes of the Empire, on the borders, the grab is one way or the other; shrinking or enlarging, it's war ...That's a change we can believe in.

Revolution is a change we can believe in. It's the need for change, not necessarily the "Change". Historically change usually comes with the Guillotine a new branch of the Royal family. These day though, Saddam got the noose and Iraq a puppet government. Maybe, that's why Iran doesn't want to see America in the Middle East. Their own country's Islamic revolution just thirty years old... Bit too close for comfort.

Thirty years ago, we agreed, America does not want to be an Imperialistic, Gun Boat Diplomacy, Nuclear Threat of a nation that sees the world as an Empire to be conquered. That was a change we believed in in 1976. It is a change we still believe in in 2008. The difference in 2008 is: America must not walk out of the Middle East without giving The Iranian Revolutionary Guard that Bitch Slap! And we better elect a President who knows how to Deliver it!

(This is not a Hillary Clinton ad)