Congratulations President Obama!

You worked extremely hard, and your success is well deserved.

Keith Olbermann Schools McCain About Playing the Victim!

Yeah, Olbermann is at it again, and this time, his message is directed at McCain and the threats of violence that are encouraged by both McCain and his running mate at their rallies, especially when they are silent and refuse to challenge these messages of violence that are directed towards Obama. Keith’s message is self explanatory.

Video:

Transcript:

Who Is Barack Obama? Behind the Scenes DNC 08

This is a really cute behind the scenes video as Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, and Joe Biden prepare for their speeches at the Democratic National Convention that was held in Denver.

It’s really cute to see Obama and Michelle interact with their daughters.

Olbermann Gives Palin a Lesson in Hypocrisy

I am a loyal fan of Countdown with Keith Olbermann, and every once in a while on countdown, there is a gem worth passing on. And most recently his rage for the GOP, and all their lies was directed at Sarah Palin. While Palin preached from the stump about Obama’s associations with terrorists and lack of patriotism, she forgot her own personal history. Fortunately for her, Olbermann was there to the rescue to remind her of her associations with “domestic terrorists” and her marriage to a man who was a member of the Alaskan secessionist party.

But somehow, some of these idiots still view her as more Patriotic, more “comfortable” than Barack Obama, even though, her husband was part of a political party that attempted to “remove one of the stars from the United States flags” bu seceding.  I mean what crime weighs more, a rant by an angry Black man or someone who joins a party that attempts to break one state off from the rest of the United States? Come on people!

Video:

Transcript:

Angry McCain-Palin Mob Say They Don’t Know Obama

This is ridiculous. Palin has been on the national radar for a little over a month now, but these crazy mobsters insist that they know her better than they know Barack Obama. Even though he went through the whole primary vetting period, even though he’s been on the national radar for at least over a year. These are the people who either consciously reject the truth and refuse to acknowledge it no matter what, or they are just plain stupid.

Here is an excerpt from the video creator’s blog:

My camera was rolling for literally seconds before people happily said to me, on camera, that Barack Obama is a terrorist.  If I hadn’t spent most of my time at the event inside, waiting for the candidates to show up, I could have gotten dozens of these people on tape.

It appears the McCain campaign has either been told to tone it down by the Secret Service, or is toning it down themselves, because Ayers never came up in the building.  Which is good, because if they had invoked Ayers, this crowd, as you will see from the YouTube, would have easily gone to the death threats we’ve heard before, keeping the Secret Service busy for weeks.  Of course, Jim Trakas didn’t get the memo, saying Barack Obama supporters are “sinners” and implored the crowd to “pray for their souls.”

Bonus footage of people claiming they know Sarah Palin better than they know Barack, and in fact, never heard of Barack.

I’ve been doing blog video for a while, and presidential rallies a lot longer.  And this is the most strange, ignorant, uninformed, angry, up-to-no-good, and gullible group of people I’ve ever seen at a political rally.

Ever.

Is this just plain ignorance or what?

Expect Race Riots on Inaguration Day

So there have been some speculation and prediction about the impeding race riots sure to happen if Obama is not elected president of the United States. Sure there are some basis for this. People will surely protest. People are fed up with the war in Iraq, the economic crisis, the lack of care for the climate crisis, and so much more. The possibility of a Barack Obama in office is a huge historical moment and statement in American history. The possibility of an Obama has inspired a movement unlike any other in recent memory, a movement towards real racial integration, diversity, and equality for America. And yes, if he is not elected, a lot of people will be upset. And so, the predictors say, race riots are inevitable if he is not elected.

And while Obama’s presidency represents “hope” and “change” for the diverse America, when race riots are predicted, they invoke a racialized sense of disgruntled “other” Americans, the African Americans. Few people imagine sensible white Americans running the streets, protesting, and looting, simply because a Black man did not become president. Only those entitled African Americans are sure to wreck havoc on America because they didn’t get a handout in the form of a president.

And yet…while there is a very strong pro-Obama movement, there is also a huge, strong, counter anti-Obama movement. Some believe Obama is the anti-Christ. They are using religion to warn people of the inevitable doom that will befall America if Obama is elected president. Like their ancestors when slavery was to be abolished, they took up arms and went to war, these same people will also take up arms and go to war, to fight for their America. The racist for whites only (at least in power, and yeah Blacks are allowed as long as they stay in their place, that is, the place beneath the whites) Americans will make sure that by no means will they live under a “multi-racial” and “equal” America.

Yet this isn’t considered an inevitable “race” riot sure as it will happen if or when Obama becomes president. These groups of people, mostly whites, are not racialized and otherised like Black people. Their disdain and protest against an Obama presidency is not only not considered a racial act, but is even to some degree considered Patriotic. Their entitlement is disregarded, and in some cases their violence justified (they are patriotic after all 🙄 ).

But here is the thing. Even if they are white, their riots and protests should be racialized as well. So whether Obama wins or doesn’t win the Presidency of the United States, either way, expect a RACE riot. Black people are not the only ones who “act out” when they do not like something. Whites do too, and have “acted out” in the past.

Don’t Underestimate Palin on Debates

Palin will be debating Biden soon, and a lot of Obama supporters are banking on the fact that her debate will be as disastrous as her interviews with Charlie Gibson and Katie Couric. However, as was seen at the Republican National Convention, when she’s had time to prepare and to memorize speeches, talking points, and one liners, the delivery is priceless and highly effective.

EVERYONE: expect the same type of performance at this debate as the GOP convention. When asked about Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Zimbabwe, whatever, Palin will have memorized a serious of talking points she will bring up (being confident that she won’t be challenged on them by her opponent) and she will deliver them perfectly. More importantly though, is that she will be equipped with a series of one liners and zingers that she will use to undermine her opponent. And this is where her success will come in.

Policy debate? Forget about it. As long as people’s expectations are low, as long as they believe she will fall completely flat on her face, she can only do better. And I think this is what the GOP is hoping for. Low expectations that will only be elevated by her performance with one liners that are memorable, “cute”, and catchy.

So don’t underestimate her. She is coming strong, and she is bring fire!

Congratulations Are In Order

As most people in the world probably already know, BARACK OBAMA has secured the Democratic Party nomination for presidency making him the first person of African descent to lead a major political party in the United States. What was once thought of as a fairy tale has now become a reality, a task accomplished seemingly against all odds.

Congratulations Mr. Obama!!!

We know it wasn’t easy, and it most likely will not get any easier from now on. But at least now we know it’s possible. Unlike in 2006 when Democratic State Congressman Harold Ford Jr. ran for a senatorial seat in Tennessee and lost, who would have thought that Barack Obama would, in 2008 secure the presidential nomination for the DEMOCRATIC PARTY? It does have a surreal feel to it, and I’m kind of lost for words. It’s been one hell of a journey, but it’s not over yet.

As much as I hate to reproduce people’s full works on my blog, I am sharing this one from TheRoot.com. I encourage anyone reading to take a look at that website for more great commentary. But here is what Jack White had to say:

Obama Wins, Pigs Fly

June 4, 2008 — Lawd have mercy!

They said pigs would fly, fish would whistle and lost souls would be shivering in hell before a major political party anointed a presidential standard bearer who is not only black but actually dances like one.

Well, those wonders may not have occurred, but I’ve been sweeping up shards from the glass ceiling that Barack Obama broke through last night. As the Illinois Senator proclaimed to a huge throng of supporters in St. Paul, Minnesota, “Tonight, we mark the end of one historic journey with the beginning of another — a journey that will bring a new and better day to America. Because of you, tonight, I can stand before you and say that I will be the Democratic nominee.”

Can I get a hallelujah? Can I get an amen? Can I get a splash of cold water thrown in my face?

Now that I’ve got that out of my system, let’s put Obama’s triumph into perspective. For one thing, he must still reach an accommodation with Hillary Clinton, who may be trying to pressure him into choosing her as his running mate. Beyond that, he faces a tough battle against a formidable Republican foe in John McCain.

But this is a day for reflection and wallowing in history, not mundane political prognostication. And, if we look back far enough, we can see that this day has been coming. For all its glass-ceiling-busting, stereotype-shattering, expectation-exceeding glory, Obama’s nomination is the culmination of a series of black political breakthroughs that have occurred with almost metronomic regularity every 20 years since the 1960s. Without those earlier building blocks, Obama’s astonishing achievement would be as unimaginable as those proverbial flying pigs.

Start with what I call conception: the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965, which made it possible for massive numbers of African Americans, especially in the South, to become full citizens. The result was a political revolution as thousands of blacks won elected offices everywhere from backwaters in Alabama and Mississippi to the city halls in almost every big city in the nation and the halls of Congress.

Those pioneering forays were followed a generation later by what might be called the quickening: Jesse Jackson’s two runs for the presidency in 1984 and 1988. Jackson’s campaigns awakened an urgent, new sense of political possibility among African Americans by registering hordes of new voters, encouraging a new generation of black candidates, and concretizing blacks’ demand for a share of the leadership of the Democratic Party, which had often seemed to take their unwavering support for granted. The system of proportional delegates that Obama so skillfully exploited this year was shaped by Jackson’s demands.

Now, after a 40-year-gestation period, we’re on the brink of delivery. If Obama goes on to win the White House, America will have come a step closer to what an earlier politician from Illinois described as a “new birth of Freedom,” as a man who claims kinship with the descendents of both slaves and slave owners becomes the leader of all the people.

This day has been coming, with an irresistible historical logic, since some long forgotten bondsman first noticed the contradiction between his or her own condition and the stirring words of the Declaration of Independence. Since then, it has been our task to perfect our nation’s democracy by holding up a mirror to America and contrasting what the country promised to what it delivered.

That, in part, was what Obama was alluding to last night when he asserted that , “beyond all the petty bickering and point-scoring in Washington, Americans are a decent, generous, compassionate people, united by common challenges and common hopes. And every so often, there are moments which call on that fundamental goodness to make this country great again.’

It is not a racial appeal, but it is rooted in the knowledge that blacks, whether they knew it or not, have been leading whites, who certainly never realized they were being led, in the direction of a more perfect union since long before the nation was founded. White women (including those who helped to propel Clinton’s own precedent-setting campaign), other racial minorities, gays—every group that threw off discrimination and second-class citizenship has followed the pathway to freedom blazed by our struggle.

And what a remarkable vessel Obama is for the dreams we’ve poured into him. There is no need to dwell on his gifts as an orator, who sometimes seems to be channeling both JFK and MLK. His shrewdness is equally impressive. He, with his strategist David Axelrod and campaign manager David Plouffe, assembled a campaign apparatus powerful enough to defeat the former presumptive standard-bearer, Clinton, one of the most tenacious and talented candidates in history. Through mastery of the Internet, he has raised spectacular amounts largely from small contributors. He out-organized Clinton in caucus states and built up enough of a lead in delegates to outlast her victories in several states at the close of the primary season. He taps into a hunger for change that has aroused the political fervor of the young.

Running an effective campaign is not a complete test of whether a candidate would be a good President, but it reveals a great deal about the aspirants’ leadership and organizational abilities, and they way they respond to pressure and unpredictable events.

So far, Obama has passed every test with extraordinary aplomb. The challenge that remains is, on a way, more for the rest of us than it is for him. Is America ready to entrust its future to a President who is not only black but can dance like one? Or do we have to wait for the day when pigs actually take to the sky and fish can actually whistle?

Way to go Barack!

Rwanda To indoctrinate Children With Propaganda

There is a great post over at Claude Adams’ Blog titled The Pitfalls of “Official” History. The post raises some interesting points about the new Rwandan history and curriculum and the challenges and difficulties of re-writing history. Claude Adams writes,

Within the next few weeks or months, new history textbooks will be introduced in Rwanda’s schools. This is a vitally important event for the Central African country. After all, says Deo Byanafashe, the Rwandan professor largely responsible for the reclamation project, “history is where we find our identity.”

This should be cause for celebration. But is it? Will Rwandan schoolchildren be getting an authentic history text that honestly traces the roots of the ethnic violence that tore their society apart? Or will the New History be just another official mythology, a narrative born of political expediency, or political necessity?

The government, controlled by the minority Tutsis (who make up less than 15 per cent of Rwanda’s population), argues that an agreed-upon history is critical to reconciliation. Indeed, the slogan of the new history program is “Education for Reconciliation.” This offers a clue to the question of authenticity: Can history be “used” as a remedy for social disharmony? Aren’t we talking here about “designer history” as a form of therapy?

After a very compelling post, Adams reaches this conclusion regarding the Rwandan Government’s failings :

There [in Rwanda}, the government seems to be deliberately misrepresenting important events in its recent history, in an apparent effort to consolidate power, and to put a new, and unreal, face on Rwandan society. In so doing, it glosses over the terrible emotional complexity and confusion one still finds among survivors of the genocide. It ignores the fact that many Tutsis and Hutus still view one another with dread and suspicion–feelings that will not be expunged with a new, selective history.

Anyone who can should read it.

Personally, I think it’s a no brainer that Rwanda will continue to spread propaganda throughout the world and to children. I don’t doubt that this has the potential to cause harm in the long run, especially with this forced suppression of ethnic identities and such. I figure it’s going to manifest itself in other ways, which might be more harmful than letting people simply be who they are.

One major problem with what’s happened in Rwanda is that one whole group of people has been demonized that it’s almost beyond people to comprehend that there exists people within that group that aren’t actually evil nor killers, nor did they have anything to do with what happened. And also, that these people aren’t actually the exception, and no they are not “moderate” as Kagame would like us to believe. So this idea of trying to curb “genocide ideology” by suppressing people’s identities is exactly as Adams put it, it’s a means to consolidate power and remain in control. I really have a difficult time believing that Rwanda is acting with altruistic intentions when promoting the erasure of group identities.

So what do you think? How do you think propaganda will affect the children’s identities? Do you think it will be harmful or not? Will this be like how in America they don’t teach Black history in schools but Black people have to dig deep to actually find it? Is there anything that can be done at this point?

No She Didn’t

Maybe she didn’t. She didn’t mean to imply that she was staying in the race because she was waiting for Obama to be assassinated but that she was staying in the race because her husband won the nomination in June, but RFK was assassinated also in June after winning a big primary. But if her point was to say that she can still win in June, why even mention that Kennedy was assassinated? Clinton won and Kennedy was assassinated, yeah two great examples for presidential success in June? Does that even make sense? Also, if the Kennedys were on her mind, why is it that the moment that would be on her mind is one of the brothers’ assassination? And how selfish and self centered would she have to be that she would use a tragic moment in their lives to advance her own personal agenda; her justification for staying in the contest?

Here’s is what she said from the New York Post:

“My husband did not wrap up the nomination in 1992 until he won the California primary somewhere in the middle of June, right? We all remember Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June in California. I don’t understand it,” she said, dismissing calls to drop out.

The article continues on:

Obama, the first African-American to advance so far in the race for the White House, has faced threats, sources have said.

Robert Kennedy, the younger brother of President John F. Kennedy, was gunned down in 1968 after winning the California primary. He had been a hero on the left for his civil rights agenda and calls to end the war in Vietnam.

Barack Obama, who leads Clinton by nearly 200 delegates and has already secured a majority of pledged delegates, has been the subject of threats. Early in the campaign, the Secret Service gave him a security detail at the request of Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Illinois).

Earlier in January, there was another such incident:

In yet another reference to Democratic Party icon John F. Kennedy — we’ve heard several in recent days — Clinton supporter Francine Torge, a retired educator from Durham, mentioned his assassination in her introduction of the senator on Monday.

“If you look back, some people have been comparing one of the other candidates to JFK, and he was a wonderful leader,” she said. “He gave us a lot of hope. But he was assassinated, and Lyndon Baines Johnson actually did all of his work and got both the Republicans and Democrats to pass those measures.”

“Assassination” has been one of those eerie thoughts that’s loomed over Black people’s minds throughout this whole contest. Some Black people have simply decided NOT to give Barack their vote simply because they are so convinced he’s getting assassinated at any time. Most race conscious people know that Black people are targets just by being Black, and no this isn’t pulling the “race card” but a reality, ask Sean Bell and Amadou Diallo. But try being Black and “getting out of your place” like trying to be president? Don’t even think about it. It’s not paranoia, assassination is a reality for many many Black leaders in American and around the globe. But this isn’t about Black people.

When all the questions arise as to why Clinton steadfastly treads forward in a downward spiraling campaign and her response is that her husband won in June but another presidential hopeful was assassinated, it leaves one to conclude that maybe, maybe this (Obama’s assassination) is why she’s staying in the race. I’m trying to give here the benefit of the doubt here. What is it about RFK’s presidential campaign’s demise does she find inspiring enough to conjure up in attempts to justify why she’s staying in the race?

Keith Olberman breaks it down:

We have forgiven you your insistence that there have been widespread calls for you to end your campaign, when such calls had been few.

We have forgiven you your misspeaking about Martin Luther King’s relative importance to the Civil Rights movement.

We have forgiven you your misspeaking about your under-fire landing in Bosnia.

We have forgiven you your insisting Michigan’s vote wouldn’t count and then claiming those who would not count it were Un-Democratic.

We have forgiven you pledging to not campaign in Florida and thus disenfranchise voters there, and then claim those who stuck to those rules were as wrong as those who defended slavery or denied women the vote.

We have forgiven you the photos of Osama Bin Laden in an anti-Obama ad…

We have forgiven you fawning over the fairness of Fox News while they were still calling you a murderer.

We have forgiven you accepting Richard Mellon Scaife’s endorsement and then laughing as you described his “deathbed conversion.”

We have forgiven you quoting the electoral predictions of Boss Karl Rove.

We have forgiven you the 3 a.m. Phone Call commercial.

We have forgiven you President Clinton’s disparaging comparison of the Obama candidacy to Jesse Jackson’s.

We have forgiven you Geraldine Ferraro’s national radio interview suggesting Obama would not still be in the race had he been a white man.

We have forgiven you the dozen changing metrics and the endless self-contradictions of your insistence that your nomination is mathematically probable rather than a statistical impossibility.

We have forgiven you your declaration of some primary states as counting and some as not.

We have forgiven you exploiting Jeremiah Wright in front of the editorial board of the lunatic-fringe Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

We have forgiven you exploiting William Ayers in front of the debate on ABC.

We have forgiven you for boasting of your “support among working, hard-working Americans, white Americans”

We have even forgiven you repeatedly praising Senator McCain at Senator Obama’s expense, and your own expense, and the Democratic ticket’s expense.

Finally he says this:

But Senator, we cannot forgive you this.

Because a senator…a politician…a person…who can let hang in mid-air the prospect that she might just be sticking around in part, just in case the other guy gets shot – has no business being, and no capacity to be, the President of the United States.

I think he’s a bit harsh in this piece here though, but maybe that’s what she needs to see the damage she’s causing with her “gaffes” in relation to Obama.

Fox news apparantly agrees with Hillary.

And now we have what uh…some are reading as a suggestion that somebody knock off Osa…Osama. Umm… Uh…Obama…well both if we could *laughs*.

Seriously? You can sign a petition to have Liz Trotter fired here.

Disgusting behavior all around!!!