JPF Home Page Forums General Messages General Message Forum Did Barack's Speech inspire you? (or did you even watch it)?

Straight party dogma? Hmmm... I think you're forgetting one very important fact, Brian: Obama voted against the war when everyone else was for it. He's not afraid to go against the grain.

UMMMMMM when was this Obama Vote against the war?

Obama Elected to the Senate November 2004

The current Iraq War began March 2003

An armchair vote? Hindsite? I don't think those count.

There was a vote on the war in 2005. Obama did not vote.
04/18/2005 Future Military Funding for Iraq Amendment
HR 1268 NV Amendment Adopted - Senate(61 - 34)

If anyone wants to really know what Obama voted for or against or not at all go here
http://www.votesmart.org/voting_category.php?can_id=9490

And I am not passing judgement on anything, just providing information.

WTF!
I tried to follow this line of thinking, John, but really, man, you lost me... I have read where you're a Bush hater, and the Republicans are clueless, so now you're a fence sitter... or maybe I misread this. Actually, it appears you are on both sides of the fence. Losing faith in Obama?

Jillian,

Obama's record indicates he would never vote against the grain on an issue that might cost him politically. In the local politics of Illinois, being against anything Republican supported is a good move. Once he was in the Senate where he'd have to live with his votes on a national platform, he neglected to vote at all on the occassion he had to do so. In truth, he's done almost nothing at all since getting elected. Anyone who thinks he's even earned his salary based on what he's accomplished, aside from running for President, is either not informed or is simply too politically biased to see the truth.

Obama has a really disturbing history of political expediency to get ahead. There's no other rational reason why he'd associate with terrorist William Ayers or his racist Reverend. He wanted their left wing and racist street cred to get ahead in Illinois politics. He also used the support of convicted felon Rezco to get ahead (not to mention his personal property dealing...). Do I think Obama is a terrorist? Nope. Do I think he's a racist? Nope. Do I think he's a felonious fraud? Nope. But I do think he associated with those people solely to get ahead.. to believe otherwise would be to believe he IS all of those things by choice and by nature. Either way.. it's cause for legit concern. And if Obama was so against the war, why didn't he use his one chance after being elected Senator to make it very clear where he stood? And why did he pick a VP running mate who DID support and vote for the war?

Of course, it's even more mystifying why Obama would choose a running mate who said he was not qualified to be president? If that's the viewpoint and wisdom he admires enough to make his second in charge, then doesn't that suggest he knows Biden was right all along? Again, it can't be both ways. Was Biden lying about Obama in the primaries, or is he lying now? Nothing has changed in Obama's experience or qualifications in that time.

Can problems be found with the Republicans? Sure. McCain's immigration policy should have kept him from even running for President... it was ridiculous (though sadly Obama shares the same views...). And Palin has her own issues. Mainly that she's almost as inexperienced and unqualified to be president as Obama. It's very scary that either she as VP or Obama as President could be expected to deal with Russia and Iran and the rest of the world's serious threats. People point to him being like Kennedy. But Kennedy was a disaster as President. He got us into Vietnam (which I always find it odd that Democrats forget all about), and he nearly started world war 3 in his botched missions in Cuba. His own candidacy was frought with corruption and common belief is that without the union's corrupt connections and voter fraud in Illinois, he never would have won in the first place.

And George Bush? He's been a disaster from day 1. I never voted for him (or his father for that matter). I am happy to point out the horrendous behavior, horrendous conduct and horrendous performance and ideas of all the candidates. What I rarely ever see is the same approach by either the left or the right (as is pretty clear by most of the posters here, which pretty accurately represent the country at large). Anyone who can say their party is without massive sins and massive weaknesses is either misinformed, intentionally ignorant or simply being dishonest. Obama and company had plenty of chances to be very specific about what they would do to solve problems. They didn't even try to deliver. Promise everything and commit to nothing is the way Obama plays the game. McCain now has a similar chance to do it.. and I expect he will also fail to deliver. And on that, both are, in my opinion, demonstrating a level of political cowardice. They are both so afraid of their own beliefs and the righteousness of their plans that they hide behind vagueries. And if people simply allow their parties to continue this way without holding them to account, after one or the other wins by a couple of percentage points, we'll find ourselves no better off than before. The same coporate and special interests will call the shots until the next bogus campaign cycle starts.

But that's just my opinion.. I could be right.

Brian

Sounds an awful lot like that not so hot new movie with Kevin Costner called Swing Vote. Though I will say the little girl in the movie is the best part of the whole thing. It's all funny, and it's all tongue in cheek. However the message within is really good.

He was a community activist for the poor when he could have been making millions on Wall Street.


http://blog.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/2008/02/obamas_weatherman_connection.html




Racist? Do you mean Rev. Jerimiah Wright? This man grew up in an era where a black mans life had no value and equal protection under the law was a joke. He reminds this nation of the sins of it's bigotry, yet YOU call him a racist.

How many people has HE lynched? How many has he raped? How many has he deprived the right to vote? To equal education? Equal access? When did HE decide where people could buy a home or get a job? How many times has he come in the night with the law at his side and murdered his political opponents? Calling this a racist nation built on bigotry is not racist. It's his opinion, but he's never lifted his hand or voice to deny the human rights of anyone.

Prove he has, and I'll shut up.



Amazing how little you know about Chicago politics




This is a fair charge. Rezco was in everyone's pocket democrat and republican alike. He was an influence peddler, but there was nothing proved improper in Obamas' dealing. Nothing illegal. There's no there there.




Everybody has the right to their opinion,


You could just as well be wrong.



Respectfully,



Wendell

It did not inspire me--*because* I paid no attention to it. If both the Republicans and the Democrats are going to trivialize the Presidential election into irrelevancy, I will not attempt to diminish their effectiveness by paying attention.

Joe

Wendell,

All races, ethnicity and religions (and the non-religious) have been persecuted and enslaved at one time or another throughout history by another group. All have been both the perpetrators and victims of racism. All of it is bad and one doesn't justify the other. Racism is still racism. All races owned slaves in the south by the way. Are you aware of that? All races have thieves and rapists and murderers in their ranks. None are better than others. To think so is to be racist. To hold anyone accountable for the actions of someone who shares a skin color or religion or ethnicity or gender or sexual preference or any other factor is wrong. People are responsible ONLY for their own actions and personal associations, not those of ancestors or relatives or demographic group. If you choose to associate with racists or rapists or lynch mobs, then you should be held to account. If not, then you shouldn't be lumped with them because you share skin color. I'd think you'd agree with that. But you don't according to your post. Please rethink it. Don't justify unacceptable behavior because it supports your "team" politically. I know you're better than that.

As for Chicago politics, please enlighten me. Are you suggesting that Obama didn't benefit from getting into the ultra liberal intellectual circles of people like Ayers? Are you suggesting that he didn't connect with the community on the south side because of his association with Wright? He was an outsider. Would he have moved so far so fast if he had lived in Waukegan and hung out with other Harvard Grads and private school kids of youth? He needed Democratic street cred. He got it from a lot of questionable sources. You may well have it right about Rezco (i.e. that corrupt politicians of both parties worked with him). But that hardly makes it better does it?

As for his community organizer work, if that was taken 100% at face value, so what? There are hundreds of thousands of similar organizers for all sorts of community situations. It certainly isn't more impressive than being the mayor of a small town for 8 years is it? For that matter, it's really no more impressive than working on the school board or being active in the PTA. Helping people is great. Sincere charity work is great. So at face value, good for him. But his other relationships leave a bit more room for questioning motives. Seeing him launch into Presidential campaigning almost immediately after getting elected to the Senate certainly suggests he didn't really care about being a Senator. And a careful lack of risk in the Illinois Senate where he avoided a yes or no vote to keep his history as uncontroversial as possible also implies he was there also as a springboard and not as a desire to help fix things. With those two very clear examples, why should anyone think his community work wasn't ALSO opportunistic? He's a smart and calculating guy. Of course it's all part of his very successful plan to get where he is. He's pulled it off perfectly so far and may well take it all the way home. But it doesn't make it any less true just because it works.

As for him not becoming a high paid lawyer on Wall Street, what does that have to do with anything? He was politically ambitious, not monetarily ambitious (though he's hardly hurting for cash). Going to Wall Street wouldn't help that. Not everyone is motivated by money. I certainly have demonstrated that myself I think for the last 10 years. But for all his public service, he certainly hasn't done badly financially. He lives in a house 99% of us could not afford. He's not living in poverty by any means and he's set for life even if he loses the Presidential election. Money is guaranteed to someone who spends their life in private schools and Ivy league universities. Harvard grads don't need to worry about money.

If I had to bet right now, I'd put my money on Obama winning. I'd say it's likely going to be a 52-48% split, give or take a percentage. He said he was all about change, but then he chose Biden who is the exact opposite of that. He says he's a different kind of politician, but so far he's run his campaign just like all the others. He says he's going to help everyone by promising all things to all people, but he hasn't said how he will do it all while cutting taxes to 95% of the people (meaning, I guess that 5% are expected to pay for everyone else? I don't think that is likely). I've seen plenty of scrutiny of McCain by both the right and the left. But I have seen almost zero scrutiny of Obama from the left at all. He apparently is perfect in all ways. So is Biden. So are every other Democratic candidate and Democratic talking point and agenda if you are to watch the news. For all that perfection, I see very little evidence that Obama will be straight about how he will do things and who will pay for it all. But, as someone who has heard all of this before, I know the truth is that ALL of us will be paying for it and that the same old cronies will get all the money and retain all the power they always have. While good people like you and I are hashing out all of this, they are leaning back and saying to each other "business as usual..." while they light up a stogie and clink their martini glasses together. I believe that Obama and McCain really do want to make things better. I am simply not convinced that either of them are up to the job. And I plan to scrutinize them both. And when I see the media and the parties coddling a candidate, it sends out ALL the warning flairs. And when I see people blindly supporting a side, I take them to task.

Don't you want something better? Don't you want to hold EVERYONE accountable and force them to be open and transparent about things? Don't you want to eliminate racism and bigotry of all kinds from all sources? Don't you want people who really want to solve problems rather than simply blaming the other guy for them while making them all worse? I bet you do. I think we start that process by questioning everyone and holding them accountable for what they do, who they call their advisors and associates and if we're really lucky, asking them to demonstrate their ability to move us forward for a change. After the Clinton and Bush dynasties, we need to get back on track.

Brian

Here's some food for thought: If Star Trek Voyager's Jeri Ryan hadn't revealed that her former husband Jack Ryan had taken her to sex clubs, Jack Ryan would most likely be the Junior Senator from Illinois and Barack Obama wouldn't even be in the race.

I don't remember saying hate talk about anyone, or saying "clueless" as a general definition of a many member party.
????

All I am saying is being open minded is better than being on one side and not seeing the others point of view,,(or considering them as something that could make sense from time to time). Being on one side or the other is like being an Eagles fan, and not appreciating the other team's plays.

Fence sitting is good for looking at everything,,,,,then selecting what is good at the time for self, no mater what side the idea came from. That is what is seriously missing with the two party system. Talk show hosts too. They all claim to be right, and won't stop and think about other points, it seems anyway.

radical
adjective
1 radical reform THOROUGHGOING, thorough, complete, total, comprehensive, exhaustive, sweeping, far-reaching, wide-ranging, extensive, across the board, profound, major, stringent, rigorous. ANTONYM superficial.
2 radical differences between the two theories FUNDAMENTAL, basic, essential, quintessential; structural, deep-seated, intrinsic, organic, constitutive. ANTONYM minor.
3 a radical political movement REVOLUTIONARY, progressive, reformist, revisionist, progressivist; extreme, extremist, fanatical, militant, diehard, hard-core. ANTONYM reactionary, moderate, conservative.

I don't think anything about this campaign from either side is turning into anything radical. Certainly McCain and Obama, in the context of their parties, had great potential to be radical. But they've been tampered down by the "system" and continue to be. I think McCain made the effort to reach out to his more radical side with his VP pick. I think Obama was afraid of his radical side and chose Biden. But in the wash, it seems we might end up with the same old same old. The bigger worry for me is to see what favors have to be called in after this is over? Who does McCain or Obama really answer to if they are elected. I think that's something fans of either side should think long and hard about, though I suspect most won't. They'll be too happy giving each other high 5's like they won the Super Bowl.

Brian

Brian, that's a very good idea--probably one the media should zero in on (since they're unlikely to pay attention to anything substantive in this campaign). Who *do* they owe? That's an application of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Rule One: "Always follow the money."

Could tell you s lot about what to expect--as well as forcing the guys (and gal) to justify it.

Joe

You got that right.
Follow the Money, you'll find the truth.
And I think it would surprise a lot of people, on both sides.

Brian, you called Rev. Wright a racist. He's never said ALL white people were racist. He said SOME. He also has a large number of white members in his church. Your position is that the man is racist for calling out the sins of this nation.

I'm not talking about the history of the world. I, like he has, speak directly to the racism of THIS nation. It's hypocrisy. If you want to call that racist, like I said. It's a free country. Believe what you want. Your beliefs aren't fact. Just your opinion. You haven't proven Rev. Wright to be a racist. Just a pissed off old man that has every right to his opinion.

As far as Obamas' political ambitions, thank God for them. Sometimes you make a deal with the devil. The first election I ever worked on was for Dan Walker for Governor of Illinois. Turns out the guy was a thief. But he helped black people to get equal representation in southern Illinois where the old guard used every trick in the book to lock us out.

When Harold Washington won the democratic nomination for mayor of Chicago, The machine that he supported his entire political career, turned it's back on him declaring Chicago would never have a Black mayor, a half million white democrats voted for a republican to keep him out. He won anyway with the help of white progressives and independents. One of his leading fund raisers?

Tony Rezko.

Politics makes strange bedfellows.

My father and step-mom were part of this liberal intelligentsia you seem to despise. But they worked hard for equal access to jobs and housing in the most racist city in America. In 1986, when I worked as a designer at DePaul university, an older Black woman took me aside once and told me how proud she was of me. I was confused as to why. She told me I was the first black man to ever work on the 7th floor that wasn't sweeping it.

My opinions are formed by my personal experience.

Yours are different because you didn't grow up in a nation where you were constantly having having to fight and struggle for the basic human rights that most Americans took for granted. As Dick Gregory put it so bluntly, "What do you call a black man with a college degree?.....N*gger."

This is the America I grew up in. I'm not saying it's all bad and that things haven't been slowly changing for the better. But you can't pour sugar on sh*t and call it ice cream.

Some of us know the difference.

This Week, The Obama Ads seem to be Heavy-Rotationing the "How Many Houses does McCain Own?" angle "Answer: Seven"...like it's a Big Thing/& McC's Out-of-Touch.

My guess is McC wasn't entirely SURE how many His WIFE had previously-purchased/wasn't ready to mention a WRONG Number since The Press would bash him for being WRONG. But it IS common knowledge McC's WIFE is moree-than-a-little-Affluent. What CRIME is That, pray tell?

As Brian's already-mentioned, Obama owns a house "99% of us" couldn't even dream of owning. I'm happy for him...BUT to keep whacking an Opponent for Home Ownership...(However Few..OR Many) just doesn't seem Campaign-Issue-Worthy.

WOULD be thrilled if EITHER Candidate would buy the one I've had Up For Sale, unsuccessfully, for over a year tho..(& they'd Certainly Get MY Vote..heh!)

I'm STILL listening for The Ad that says HOW they're going to put More Loot in MY Pocket in the next 4 years ahead. Let's hear some REAL Details, Gents...the Whole Country's Listening!

JMO,
Stan

Well Stan I think the media would rather focus on the really important things.
Like Palin's 17 Year old Daughter being Pregnant or her Husband having been arrested for Drunk Driving....what 20 years ago?

Yep them's some really important issues...

And God forbid we should elect someone who has no "Washington" experience. No ties to the good old boy net.

Frankly I have been waiting for someone like Palin to come along for a long time. I wish she was running for President as an Independent.

My Mom was 17 when she was pregnant with me. So What?
And my Brother was convicted of Drunk Driving...more than once...so what?

Has nothing to do with me. Had no influence at all on any of the stupid things I have done.

Wendell,

Are you saying that any white who voted against Washington was racist? That's like saying any black who voted for a black candidate is also racist. What's the difference? Isn't it possible that they voted for who they wanted to be mayor based on some factor that WASN'T racist? Why paint everyone with the racist brush that way?

As for racism and slavery in the US, why does history cut off there? All the folks who were involved in slavery are long dead. Most of the people in the US came here via ancestors who arrived AFTER the civil war. How can any of us bear ANY responsibility for that? In addition, over 60% of the population of the US lived in the North and didn't condone or allow slavery. Many, in fact, worked to rescue and free slaves in the North. We looked at buying a house here in Indianapolis that had secret passages used to house escaped slaves in the underground railroad.

Then you have to look at who owned slaves in the south. It wasn't everyone. It's not like every Southerner had a slave or even supported slavery. And of those who did, some of them were black, especially in the Carolinas. How do you reconcile that? But fortunately for all of us, all those people are long dead just as the Romans who enslaved the Christians are dead. Sadly, there's still NAZI's alive who tried to exterminate the Jews.. but their days are numbered and it's hardly fair to call all German's Nazi's or hold them responsible for their Grandparents actions.

And most of us did not descend from anyone involved or present in ANY of the slavery activity in the US. So how can you hold modern day Americans responsible? How can you paint us all with the brush of racism? And how can you excuse it in people who happen to agree with you? You perceived racism directly towards you based on your own filters. That's what everyone does. When I hear Wright speak, I hear racism. Just as you explained what it is like to hear racism directed towards you, you have to give everyone else that same ability to define it when it's directed towards them. Even Obama distanced himself from Wright.

Speaking of which, we could start to dissect the heritage of Obama and the mix of his family. Since his father was from Kenya, he wasn't a descendant of slaves in the US. His Mom obviously wasn't either. So if someone is against Obama, you'd be hard pressed to suggest it was some deep seated racism against the blacks of America that has a connection to the south and slavery. (Isn't it true that some of his father's ancestors actually came from outside of Africa as well?). Obama is just as responsible for racism himself in the US as anyone else who is descended from people who weren't involved right?

All of this to say it's time that everyone stop painting race with a brush of sameness. None of us have the same genetic background as anyone else (in fact, I bet many of us have mixed racial ancestors we don't even know about if you go back far enough). We come from all over the world where slavery and racism has always been present and where Christians and Jews and Muslims and everyone else have been oppressed and enslaved and exterminated by others. We can only be responsible for our own lives. Right now there's at least as much disdain by the far left wing and the far right wing as there is between any racial divide in the US. I've never seen such open and venomous hate mongering. I also witness a lot of racist behavior by both whites and blacks against Hispanic, Asian and Middle Eastern immigrants. I believe that you lose any right to complain about racism if you are a racist yourself. But racists are usually far too stupid to understand that fact.

Does racism exist in the US? Yes. It exists everywhere. So does sexism. So does bigotry. So does prejudice against the fat and the bald and the ugly. So does prejudice against the poor and the wealthy. So does prejudice against just about any other characteristic you can define. And all of it is just as wrong as any other. If someone is going to discriminate against someone for any factor not related to their ability to do a job or in this case lead a country, they are wrong. Call it racist or sexist or bigotry or anything else.. it's the same evil. So let's not let that evil creep in here okay? And if anyone feels that evil coming to the surface, at least keep it to yourself. We all can be better than that.. just give it a little effort.

Brian

Good for us here at least that she got you started early on!

Funny one, for your last sentence there!

And, maybe her granddaughter or grandson will have a positive effect on things sooner than later. Just like you, Bill!

John

LOL John

I can assure you it is true.
They had no influence on my stupidity.

I was watching my Great grandson playing in the yard today. He is 21 months old. He was playing with the garden hose, watering everything he could find to put water on. Including me if I got to close, to his delight.

I will be long gone before any of my stupid actions will have any influence on him. As I watched I couldn't help but wonder, and worry, about what the coming years will offer him. What will this world be like in 2070 when he is my age. Will it be a wonderful place to live or will it be a place of misery and despair.
If it's bad I am glad I won't be here to see it. If he becomes President I am sad I will miss it.

I can only hope he will see a world of peace, a world without racism and bigotry, a world without poverty and fear, A world where a woman will be treated with dignity as an equal to a man no matter what country it is, A world where all men of any color will shake the hand of a man of a different color, look him in the eye and say, yes, you are my friend.
A world where greed won't lead to war, or genocide, or slavery.

I can hope for these things for him. But I fear I am powerless to make it a reality. I fear it will not happen with or without me. Reading some of the comments here it is clear we have a long way to go.

This election will say a lot about the people of this country. It will say a lot about me when I vote.

We have a WASP (well actually two. I'd consider Biden a WASP), A woman, and A Black man. Running for the Highest office in the world. Yes It is just our America but it is still the highest most powerful office in the WORLD.
This is a first. I hope it is the path to a new way of thinking in this country.
Unfortunately I think this election is going to be decided on emotion rather than what's good for the country.
Unfortunately I am not going to be much help. I am so conflicted in this election I am not sure what to do.

The news media makes me sick. They can't get past the Race and Gender issues no matter how hard they try. For an organization that has the power to influence so many people they have truly disappointed me.

I've been watching the CNN coverage of the RNC today and I swear Wolf Blitzer looks like he is going to cry and Cafferty is so obvious in his hatred for anything McCain or Palin he is Pathetic. They seem to take any opportunity to talk about Obama to the point of being so transparent it is silly. At least that is how it looks to me. I apologize if I am wrong.

Sorry to rant folks. I was trying not to.

I want to relay these two links that I feel reflect the feelings and reality of African Americans for the past century. I wont pursue the matter further so as to avoid contention with folks.

The assertion that Obamas' pastor is a racist, is opinion NOT fact.

I will now let the matter drop.


http://www.afro.com/DesktopModules/...itemId=1477&PortalId=1&TabId=456

http://www.hvpress.net/news/126/ARTICLE/4992/2008-08-29.html

It's hard to understand how hysterical some people can get over a simple disagreement of fact.

This may be off topic, but I think there's a little bit of racism in everybody. I don't know where prejudice leaves off and racism starts, but I know I'm not completely free of it. I don't like that about myself, but pretending it doesn't exist won't help anybody.

It's my opinion that Racism and Prejudice are EXACTLY the same thing.. irrational bias for inadequate reasons. And it works both ways.. to stand against or stand for someone based on race is equally racist and equally prejudiced. But I think some people miss that entirely.

Brian

Is anyone watching Joe Lieberman speak? Pretty impressive. I actually wished he was running for President instead of VP a few years ago. He's got integrity and common sense both.

Brian

At the bottom line... The GOP's policies have, since Nixon, been detrimental to the aspiration of people of color.

Not opinion...

Fact!

And because GOP policy actively discriminates against people of color...

They do not support the GOP.


FACT.


Not opinion.

After seating a record number of African American delegates in 2004, next week's Republican National Convention in Minneapolis/St. Paul will have the lowest black representation in 40 years, according to a convention guide that will be distributed next week to delegates at the Republican National Convention by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies (Joint Center).



Blacks and the 2008 Republican Convention, released today by the nonpartisan research institution that focuses on minority issues, notes that African Americans will comprise only 1.5 percent of the total number of GOP delegates, substantially below the record setting 6.7 percent in 2004.



The 36 black delegates in 2008 represent a 78.4 percent decline from the 167 black delegates at the 2004 GOP convention.



Based on extensive polling and analysis of African American voters nationwide, the Joint Center's guide, while noting Senator John McCain's efforts to reach out to black organizations such as the NAACP and the National Urban League, outlined the difficulties he will have running against the first African American to secure a major party nomination.



"John McCain is very likely to receive a historically low share of the black vote," the guide says, adding that this is not attributable to any experiences Senator McCain has had representing black constituents, but rather it is "a reflection of Senator Obama's historic candidacy, the deep and genuine enthusiasm for him in the black community, and Senator McCain's association with President Bush, an exceptionally unpopular figure among African Americans."



The Joint Center has prepared similar volumes for both the Republican and Democratic conventions every four years since 1972. Written by the organization's Senior Political Analyst, David A. Bositis, the guides are intended to help African American convention participants carry out their responsibilities and to inform political analysis and partisan activities, as well as to enhance the understanding of trends among black voters. The guide includes an insert, prepared by the Joint Center's Health Policy Institute, comparing the health care reform plans of the two major party candidates and the implications for racial/ethnic minorities.



"This guide scientifically documents the historical shift of black voter allegiances over the past 50 years, and places black voter attitudes and preferences in the context of the pressing issues of our day," said Ralph B. Everett, President and CEO of the Joint Center. "We hope that delegates to the Republican National Convention will find this information useful in understanding the concerns of black voters and how they will influence the upcoming election."

cozmicslop,
You have all the tools to be sucessful today. I hope you are useing them. I would like to give you a statement of a Former Black Panther that was on the run out of the country. When he finally returned to the United States he said, "I would rather be in jail in the U.S. than a free man in any other country in the world".

You can quote all the facts and figures of how bad it is for the black man but for the most part they don't quite compute. Instances here and there yes but it is not the norm.

I see plenty of sucessful black people. Some of them are even Republicians. Some day you are going to have to give up Slavery, Segregation, bigotry, racisim. That dog don't hunt anymore.

Whites who support Obama don't do so because he's black, but because he inspires hope in them.

I don't know why we can't restrict our meaningless little diatribes to, "I like McCain because . . ." or, "I like Obama because . . ."
Six months from now half of us are going to look like complete fools, with these dogmatic assertions.

Then, rationalize our way out of it.

How cryptic...do you imply that I do not?



He was a criminal and a coward.

I would rather fight here and die here like Fred Hampton and Mark Clark.



I'll let you be the arbiter of what's good for the black man.




Thank you...



You don't seem to understand.


It's not mine to give up.

It's the history of the USofA


I'm not driving this train, I'm just a passenger.


Don't blame me for the facts you don't want to hear.


I don't write history...