The "Race" For The White House

I guess it has been a couple of weeks since I first heard the rumblings of the Jena 6 storm that was about to roll over the United States. I was sitting on the couch watching some good ol’ fashioned entertainment. That’s right, the news. Suddenly a story came on describing the events at a high school in which some white students had hung three nooses from a tree. To give them credit, these students apparently had plenty of school spirit, because the nooses were the colored according to the school colors. Ironically, those colors are black and gold. This is apparently the only way the color black can appear under this particular tree. It would seem that a black student had dared to defy the high school society trend of only white students sitting in the shade of the tree in question. And that was the way in which the white students responded. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry when I heard the report. Was this 1950’s Alabama? Nope. It was Jena, Louisiana, in the beginning of the new millennium. I couldn’t believe it. The home of the free, land of the brave still had racial tension brewing just below the surface.

The news story was soon forgotten, a mistake I feel many of us make. Something that important fell to the backburner while more important things became the focus of my life. Like paying bills. But a couple of weeks later, there was another racial story that appeared in the news. Once again, Jena, Louisiana. But was it a follow-up story that told of justice? Was it a story that explained how the students were reprimanded and punished, and how the other students were shown that behavior such as that would not be tolerated? Was it a success story detailing the steps Jena was taking to bring her diverse communities together? Nope. Although a student was on trial, it was a black student. When I first heard the report on the news, the old story slammed back to the front of my brain like a taser blast at a John Kerry speech. I was once again dumbfounded. There was a black student on trial in a town where white students had hung nooses. Someone call Atticus Finch, ‘cause somebody goin’ need a lawyer. Several young black students seem to have attacked a white student. The white student had nothing to do with the nooses, and the black students went on trial. And were charged as adults. Seriously? While I agree that their actions were their own, they were heavily influenced by what was obviously a racially charged environment. Not of their making. They should be punished, but what about the initial crime? And why are they being charged as adults? And people wonder why there are suddenly civil rights marches happening again. All this I heard on Fox news, but this story should have been reported on weeks before. They were just too busy worrying about a Muslim principal at a New England school. That took precedence. Because we all know who the bad guys are now, right? Well, apparently they are sixteen year old black students in Jena, Louisiana.

We see many black leaders currently in Jena, Louisiana, Rev. Al Sharpton prominently speaking out about the injustices in this country and how they should not be tolerated. And while he occasionally has a double standard that he lives up to, I definitely stand behind him on this issue. However, there is a man who could step in and make his voice heard. And people would listen. There is one who could sweep in and save the day. But he can’t. Why are his hands tied? And who bound him with kryptonite? The right wing media. And I don’t even know how they did it. Let me share a story with you. I was at work one day when I overheard two guys talking politics. I decided to listen in, eavesdrop if you will. Don’t worry, this wasn’t a warrantless wiretap or anything like that. They were standing five feet away, so it was hard to not hear them. It was hard for me to keep my mouth shut. The conversation started with one man talking about the taxes in New York state, where he had lived for the past couple of years. They were outrageous. They were out of control. And if Hillary Clinton thinks she can run a country when she can’t even keep taxes in her state down, she’s got another think coming. I was astounded. This moron obviously had no clue what a senator’s responsibilities were versus a governor’s (never mind that George Pataki is a Republican. You know, the party “against” taxes). The two gentlemen then went on to talk about the upcoming Presidential race. When the New Yorker was asked who he thought was going to win, he said Giulliani, if Fred Thompson didn’t enter the race. At which point I opened my mouth.

“God, I hope not,” I blurted as they turned their heads to look at me. “I don’t think this country can stand another four years with a Republican President.”

Fire burned in their eyes as they both turned their bodies toward me, their shoulders straightening and their muscles growing taut.

“Who do you think is going to win,” they asked as they began to cowboy up. (Yes, in unison. This is my story, shut up unless you want to tell it.)

I went through all the answers in my head. The truth is, I haven’t decided yet. But I was in this conversation, and I had picked my side. Hillary would have been a fun answer to let them play with, but I wasn’t sure if I had the conviction to stand behind that answer. My true choice, Al Gore, isn’t in the race and may never be, so mentioning him would be like spinning my wheels to impress the hot chick that turns out to be a lesbian. So I went with Obama. Which proved me wrong. This was the most fun answer, not Hillary. The man from New York was the one with the answers.

“Obama?!” he exclaimed, foam forming at the mouth. “Hell, he’s just running on the black ticket.”

Now, I’m new to being truly interested in politics, and I haven’t seen all of the debates so far and very few of Obama’s speeches around the country, and I don’t even know what all the independent parties are, but I am fairly certain there is no such thing as the “black ticket”. And so I pointed this out, adding, “Obama rarely mentions race. The only time I’ve heard him say anything about it was when someone asked him directly.”

Well, I knew better than to argue with this man in the first place, because he obviously had a far superior wit to mine. His answer: “He’s just trying to be white.” He had me. I couldn’t compete with his logic, such as it was.

My point? Obama is a unifier, but he is being painted as a divider. He works well with Democrats and Republicans both (Republicans own words), but he has been painted as a man that is only for himself and his party. And somehow his race. This prevents him from going into the fray over the Jena 6 war that is hovering over Louisiana. He can not get involved, and he can’t not get involved. How does a black man that wants to run this country get past the backward ideas of people saying he’s not black enough, or he’s trying to be white, or he’s just looking out for the black people when none of this is true? He can’t, not yet anyway. And that’s dangerous. In a country built on the principle that “all men are created equal”, to see that we still divide people by the color of their skin is deplorable. And it keeps a man from helping people when he can truly do good. That is sick people. That is far more dangerous than any one madman in this crazy, backwards, horrifyingly stupid world.

WTDAFXUP?!

I just finished writing my last blog, published it, and turned off the computer when I walked into my living room to sit next to my sweetie and enjoy some nice television time like any self-respecting American. After arguing over what to watch on nighttime tv, she won and we watched the Fox News Channel. And boy was I surprised. It related to my last posting! It was like I was psychic. Unfortunately, the members of Congress are apparently psycho.

It would appear as though Congress has decided to take steps against MoveOn.org. They have declared war against them. They have decided that this is a battle that is far more important than any silly terrorist threat. This is a clash that makes the culture clash between the Western world and radical Islam rubbish. This is more serious challenge that makes the danger of Communism, witchcraft, and women voters obsolete. It is time America takes a stand for what they truly believe. The first step is MoveOn.org. Step number two: Dixie Chicks.

You would think that a Democrat controlled Congress would avoid stepping into this trap set-up by the Republicans. But nooooo! I forgot that there is a Presidential election coming up next year. Of course, this hurt the candidates more than it helped them, but they still fell for it. Why? I don’t know. I expect this sort of idiocy from John Kerry. He made a campaign out of things like this. But Hillary? Even Obama and Biden slipped into the trap, and they didn’t even vote. And here’s the kicker. The final tally? 70-28. It would seem as though the Democrats can’t stand together for anything. No wonder Bush has stayed in office for eight years.

Let us examine what our powerful leaders of government could have been doing instead of wasting time, shall we? They could have been taking a stand on the Jena 6 situation. Possibly condemning racial hate crimes such as the hanging of nooses because a black student sat under a tree. Perhaps they should have decided on something about Iraq. They could have made a stand and pulled the troops out. They could have done something really productive and worked on a way to put that country back together. Maybe Congress would have liked to have passed a resolution to help build up the economy of North America as a whole which would help solve immigration problems for real instead of suggesting they we haul Mexicans out of here in trucks. (Of course, we all know that they want our nation to be truly great and build a wall along the Mexican border. Then we could join other great nations such as East Germany and China!) There is also the issue of health care (but Hillary wants to wait until she’s President before suggesting that to Congress), education, welfare, the crime rate, and so forth and so on. These are just off the top of my head, but feel free to add your own suggestions to this list.

But why, you may be asking, do I care so much about this condemnation. You would be correct in asking that question, since this resolution meant nothing. I searched the internet for over an hour, reading reports about this issue, and not in a single one of those sites did they mention what would happen because of this…whatever it was. It was apparently just a colossal waste of time and taxpayer dollars. But if they did nothing, why do I care?

First of all, several Democrats wanted to add to this measure. They wanted to tack on the condemnation of any war heroes, including John Kerry and Max Cleland. That was not to be. It would seem that the only people we can stand against are those that stand on the left. Form two lines people. First they’ll tell you to shut up, then they’ll send you on to the showers. Soon we’ll have to pretend to stand on the right just to be able to participate in this society. Why is it that Bush condemns (I am really getting tired of that word) MoveOn, but he didn’t say shit when Kerry and Cleland’s names were being dragged through the mud? Because this helps his political cause, and that appears to be all he’s interested in.

Reason number two that this pisses me off is really simple. The Constitution of the United States of America. There are two documents that guide me if I have a philosophical problem in life. These are the two that help me to decide which side of an argument I am going to stand on. They are the Bible and the Constitution. And they don’t generally conflict. Amazing. For those of you that are unaware of which part of the Constitution I am referring to, allow me print here Amendment I:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of
religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the
freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people
peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a
redress of grievances.

There. I even highlighted and italicized the parts that are directly related to what I’m talking about. MoveOn.org has every right to say what they said. The New York Times had every right to print it. If we have questions about our government, we are allowed to ask them. Period. We shouldn’t have to worry about Congress saying they are against our statements. We shouldn’t have to live in fear of the “condemnation” of others over words we state. MoveOn wasn’t libel. They asked a question and brought something to our attention. Could they have posed that question in a more tactful way? Sure, but there’s no need to make a federal case out of it. And what really burns my chaps is that the people bitching and complaining about the ad didn’t (apparently) even read the damn thing. But that is to be expected from Congress. Most of them didn’t even read the reports stating why we shouldn’t be in Iraq. If they had, we wouldn’t be there right now. In fact, the only one of the bunch that apparently can read is George W. Bush, thanks to a group of elementary school kids.

Whether you think the ad was right or wrong really doen’t matter. What I think really doesn’t matter. What matters is the fact that our government is taking steps to attack our rights as they are granted by the document they are sworn to uphold and as they are granted to all people by God above. I don’t care how this would impact the left or the right, but what’s next? Should we condemn Orwell for his grim prediction of the future? Franken for his political views and attacks? Coulture for the nonsense she spews on a daily basis? Well, guess not. She’s on the right. Maybe we could condemn Jesus Himself for his socialistic viewpoints and attitudes! We all have the right to our opinion, we all have the right to express that opinion, and we all have the right to question the government, and that includes military officials, government officials, mayors, teachers, trash collectors, postal workers, directors of shelters, secretaries, presidents, department heads, pool boys, and prostitutes on the federal payroll. If you don’t believe me, look back at the first Amendment. To paraphrase Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, that is the Constitution as it was written, not as we would like it to be. That’s just my opinion. But I’m mad as hell and getting madder all the time.

General Betray Us?

It was a fairly warm Monday and I was outside mowing the front lawn. This isn’t my favorite activity in the best of conditions, and while this wasn’t the worst day to be outside, it felt like it at the time. I was tired, hot, and thirsty. I turned off the mower and stumbled inside, sweat dripping from my body and muscles bulging from my exertion. I grabbed a bottle of water and plopped down on the couch. My shaky hand reached for the remote and turned on the cable box. I then reached for the tv remote and turned on the tv. Then I picked up the remote for the cable box, again, and started flipping through channels. When I have nothing specific to watch, I tend to tune in to the news channels until they repeat themselves. This process usually takes anywhere from fifteen to thirty minutes. It makes for a nice break. But this was a day unlike any other. This was the day of the Petraeus Report. I had just found what I was doing for the rest of the day. Which made my girlfriend very, very, very unhappy.

The show started simply enough. The Democrats and the Republicans argue whether or not they think we should be in Iraq. This should have been expected by all, especially considering this is still a new group of Representatives and one of their members is a Republican Presidential candidate. I was truly impressed by General Petraeus during these shenanigans. He patiently waited for the members of the House to say what they thought, even though their opinions had nothing to do with the purpose of the show. Then again, we all know about celebrities and their egos. Duncan Hunter, the afore mentioned Presidential nominee, started his speech with the ad from MoveOn.org which had been printed in the New York Times earlier that day. He was emotional. He was outraged. He was calling for the heads of the heads of the website. He was spitting and screaming and raging and his face was turning red. And every Republican that spoke after him did the same routine. They were very well choreographed. But the Democrats were not to be outdone by the performance of their counterparts. They had their routine down as well. They ignored the ad completely. They had bigger fish to fry.

For those of you that don’t know, the ad posed the question General Petraeus or General Betray Us? Catchy. And shocking. They accomplished their goal. It caught people’s attention. I was curious and wanted desperately to find out what the ad really said. Living in eastern North Carolina, I don’t get to read the New York Times very often because, well, I’m fourteen hours away from New York. But I could look it up online. But I would need a break in the drama happening on television, and unlike sporting events, there are no tv time outs in government (which is odd if you think about. How many of these representatives are sponsored by big corporations. You’d think they would have to pin company logos on their suits or something, causing them to look like Nascar drivers. Go ahead. Picture Hillary Clinton as a Nascar driver. And then add cleavage.). What was I going to do, besides rant in my internal monologue? Luckily, God works in mysterious ways and provided all of us with an opportunity to look up the advertisement which was so important to this report. The mics cut out in the House of Representatives. You had to see that one coming. If they had someone representing Sony, that wouldn’t have happened. But there was apparently no room for them between Big Tobacco and Big Oil. Maybe next year guys.
While they tried to fix the microphones and remove protestors from the room, I ran to my computer and looked up the offensive material in question. I read the whole ad. I even looked up the info they provided via the links on the page. And I was truly appalled. Why would a liberal website provide such easy ammunition as this? Karl Rove couldn’t have invented a better scheme. Even John Kerry couldn’t have screwed up with this one. Why intentionally hurt your own team? I’ll get to that in a second, but first I want to relate to you what was actually said. No, there’s no time. Let me sum up. MoveOn.org was simply asking if the Petraeus Report was actually the Petraeus Report and not the George Bush report. In all fairness, this is a legit question. It is one that the American people should ask themselves and one that Congress should ask itself. This is a serious subject that can not be politicized. Ok, apparently I’m wrong on that one. I say that, because it has been politicized. But more on that in a moment. The problem was that no one asked themselves was the Petraeus Report real. They only focused on the headline. Which was part of what the website wanted. It was an attention grabber. It was that guy that yells in order to make his point. The problem is that nobody listens to that guy. They just want him to shut up. The other problem is that if you simply state what you want to say, no one listens. So MoveOn took the loud approach. And no one listened.

Seriously, I have no problem with the ad. Was it over the top? Yes, but that’s the way it goes with left and right wing political groups. They open their mouths and get their candidates in trouble. Do they have important things to say? Yes, except Ann Coulter. But she does have a nice pair of legs, so that should count for something. All the ad did was take away from the real problem of the Petraeus Report. My father, a Republican, was upset because the Democrats had already come to their conclusion before hearing the report. He failed to notice that the Republicans had done the same thing. Both sides were hearing what they wanted to hear. And then they asked stupid questions. When can we pull our troops out? Should we implement a political surge? How do you feel about the ad? Does my hair look nice? None of these questions were the real questions that needed to be asked. These were questions that should have been asked of each other. They have to make those decisions, not the General. He gave his report, and any question that didn’t have to do with that was pointless. They wanted someone to blame, they wanted someone to be their salvation. He was neither of those things.

And that has been the problem with Iraq all along. Despite promises that it wouldn’t be another Vietnam, it has been a political game all along. For both sides. And here’s the sad truth. Both sides are wrong, and both have their heads so far up their asses that they can’t see the light. The Surge? Is it working? Who knows. It’s been six frickin’ months people. We’re trying to straighten out a country that we invaded, occupied, abandoned (while we were still there. An impressive accomplishment. Kudos!), misunderstood, and are teaching our own people to hate. It ain’t gonna be easy!! And it’s going to take time. They asked, Should we implement a political surge? No shit. What have you been doing these past six months? What was the previous Congress doing before that? Quit asking questions, quit playing politics with lives (both ours and theirs), and do you damn jobs. Otherwise, Bush will be right. Disaster will strike, and this time there will be no doubt that it was our fault because we didn’t do the right thing when we had the chance. But than again, what do I know. These are just the ramblings of one lone madman in a crazy world. And it’s getting crazier all the time.