Recently, presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama gave a speech about race, but the reality is it was nothing more than damage control against those who wish to derail his candidacy by linking him to people; specifically, black people who white folks have either always been afraid of or those perceived as being new threats to the ease of mind they've had all these years. Although the speech was very much needed - in fact - long overdue, the cause for such a speech is deplorable.
The one thing that will assure Sen. Obama's success will be the unity of the black community. McCain knows this, Clinton sure as hell knows this, and the media knows this as well. So the number one thing they all must do is divide the black community. As jacked up as President G.W. Bush is, McCain is not turning away his endorsement. Clinton is luxuriating in the glow of any support she can get from the black elite, but Obama can't just take anyone's support.
There are hundreds of thousands of black Americans who are muslims and members of the Nation of Islam. Many of those brothers and sisters can't wait to get in that booth and push that button for Obama, but because their leader Hon. Min. Louis Farrakhan is probably the most feared non-criminal black man in America; not only could Obama not accept an endorsement from Farrakhan or the NOI - not only did he have to denounce Farrakhan; he chose to concede a minute point to Clinton by both denouncing and rejecting Farrakhan's support. In the end, it was not just Farrakhan whom Obama was forced to denounce and reject, but those hundreds of thousands of brothers and sisters; i.e. VOTERS within the Nation as well. You see, Clinton knows she won't get those votes - as does McCain, so what their spin doctors are doing is devising a way to neutralize those votes altogether.
Obama has also been forced to distance himself from his pastor of the past 20 years, Dr. Jeremiah Wright, over some statements he has made in past sermons. The words used to describe these sermons have ranged from "divisive" to "unpatriotic." I look at this two ways ... ONE: Why is it when someone throws this country's flaws in it's face they are deemed "unpatriotic?" TWO: Let's look at the relevance of this issue as well as the context of it.
RELEVANCE ... these were not speeches that Rev. Wright made within the past couple of Sundays. No ... these were speeches that were made as recent as two years ago and as far back as far back as seven years ago. Was there even any footage of Obama in the congregation applauding or going along with these sermons? Errr ... uhhh - nope! Let me ask you this ... Whether or not you like what Rev. Wright said in his sermons, did he at any point lie? You might not like the plate that the meal of truth is being served to you on, but does that change the meal itself in any way? I think not. Why is it when black people let white people know exactly why we have the problems we have with them, they act like we're making it up?
Obama is by far the best qualified person to bring this country together. In this day and age, UNITY is what this country needs most. The reality is there are more people of color in the world than not, and these people who once loved America for what it was supposed to stand for now hate America for what they now SEE it to be standing for. I am of the mind that not only can Obama unite this country, he can and will go about mending the wounds of distrust and flat out bloodlust hate that many nations share for this country.
There is an age old saying that goes "the enemy of my enemy is my friend." Both Clinton and McCain are united in not just dividing the black community. They are united in causing the people - black people in particualr - to lose faith in Obama by forcing him to "denounce and reject" anyone who goes about the business of exposing this country to itself from the black point of view. This only goes to show that the so-called powers that be do not care about the black point of view. They did not care when we were the slaves who built this country, and they don't care now. Again, in using that same quote on an international level, take a look at what's going on around the world. If this country follows its current course of action, I guarantee that there will be counrties that will unite to declare war against America the same way the nations of the world (legitimately) united against Iraq back in 1990.
On that note ... The bottom line is there is nothing patriotic about following a leader into hell if his or her cause is not just. There is another old saying that goes, "men may fight for a leader they fear, but those same men will die for a leader they respect." People keep acting like anyone who does not support this war does not support the troops fighting it. That is - well, in a word ... BULLSH%T. The reality is, the majority of the troops themselves see this war for the crock that it is, but because of a statute under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ); Article 88 to be exact - which prohibits what is called "Contemptuous Speech Against the President," they cannot say so. Why do you think there are all of those generals who were at one point "appearing" to support G-Dubya, but once they RETIRED from service told the news outlets just how screwed up he really is?
Oh, and by the way ... It is true that America killed 220,000 + people in August 1945 in the only attack the earth has seen perputrated on innocent people with an atomic weapon when we bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
This country has a long way to go before it can be what it has the potential to be. However, just like an addict must first admit to himself that he does in fact have an addiction, this country has to genuinely acknowledge its flaws and truly absorb them in order to begin healing them ... "in order to become a more perfect union."
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