Rainbows, Songbirds, Fields and Wonder.
For more on Eva Cassidy, see this Nightline edition. Part One, Part Two, Part Three.
What A Day
March 19, 2008
A different kind of beauty contest…
Some contacts are meant to be broken…
There are blood banks and then there are blood farms…
Barack Obama, Fairy Tales And Failure
March 19, 2008
Once upon a time there was a senator from Illinois. Lots of people believed he was great because he promised great change…
That is how the fairy tale begins.
Barack Obama’s speech on race was noteworthy. He spoke of race and privilege and of pride and prejudice. He raised a lot of issues that merit much discussion that is long overdue. For that he is to be applauded. He spoke of issues long stifled by leftists and progressives who eschew any kind of discussion on matters that they believe they ‘own,’ and in fact, he made clear his beliefs that must have horrified his leftist agendistas. America is the only nation in the world where a story like his is possible.
Obama made clear the truth that countries like Cuba, China, Venezuela, the Arab nations in the Middle East and every other broken and failed regimes, led by cruel, racist dysfunctional leaders and worshiped by leftists as a paradise, can’t hold a candle to America. When speaking the reality of America, Obama makes clear that we must acknowledge the freedoms, democracy and opportunity available for for all of her citizens makes our great nation superior to all others.
Yesterday was a black day for leftists as candidate they regard as their savior told them the truths they don’t want to hear.
That is not to say that we are a perfect nation, but neither are we a failed nation. Indeed, America’s greatness lies in our ability to self correct. As Dr Sanity noted yesterday in The Inauthentic Self:
There is still much work to do to heal ourselves as a nation over the racism of the past. That healing–including both justice and forgiveness– is a very worthy goal and priority for Americans. But understand this: it will NOT happen; it will NEVER happen if the pendulum of racism and bigotry have only swung to the other side. We cannot heal our racist past BY BEING RACIST, and ultimately judging a person–even if it is a positive judgement–on the basis of the color of his or her skin.
Her words, a recalling of Obama’s sentiments will no doubt elicit outrage from the leftist community. While they cannot displace their rage on Obama, they have no such qualms about lashing out at others who share his sentiments.
This is where the Obama fairy tale ends.
Obama’s speech was remarkable for what he did not say.
He did not make the distinction or explain why Jeremiah Wright’s words were controversial and not bigoted. Why is Black Liberation theology- a belief system that embraces the idea that black people must put themselves in a position to dominate whites- not a racist belief system?
Black theology refuses to accept a God who is not identified totally with the goals of the black community. If God is not for us and against white people, then he is a murderer, and we had better kill him. The task of black theology is to kill Gods who do not belong to the black community … Black theology will accept only the love of God which participates in the destruction of the white enemy. What we need is the divine love as expressed in Black Power, which is the power of black people to destroy their oppressors here and now by any means at their disposal. Unless God is participating in this holy activity, we must reject his love. [1]
Where are the Obama supporters? Why not the outrage? If fools like Fred Phelps and the Westoboro Baptist Church are so offensive because for their anti gay agenda and antics, why aren’t people like Jeremiah Wright repudiated? They don’t single gays- they target an entire race for rejection.
Where is Obama? For twenty years, Jeremiah Wright spewed such hatred. How could the senator from Illinois not have been repulsed?
Obama made it a point to speak of his grandmother, who once confided in him that some black men scared her, remarks not unlike those made by Jesse Jackson. What he failed to note was the truth that everyone has some neighbors or coworkers who scare them, for no apparent reason. There are white people who scare black grandmothers too, at times for no apparent reason. There are white grandmothers who fear some whites. There are black grandmothers who fear other blacks. Fear and prejudice are very much a part of the human condition.They are also defense mechanisms that have served humankind very well in our evolutionary journey.
No matter what Obama believes or says, there is a big difference between a nice little old lady who admits that some black men scare her and a minister who believes ‘in the destruction of the white enemy.‘
Obama is right to note that America is really about overcoming obstacles and not about achieving victimhood, as may of his supporters would have you believe. What Obama did not say is the truth that at some time or another in our lives, we are all victims in one way or another. Being a victim does not mean we have the right to receive without having to work or achieve success on our own. Being a victim only allows us to address and right the wrongs, whether those wrongs are self imposed, culturally imposed or illegally imposed. The ‘do overs’ in life are the ones we give ourselves.
Obama spoke of blacks in jail as if that in itself was a core problem- and nothing could be further from the truth. There is a large population of blacks in prison because they committed crime and not because they failed English Composition class in High School. It is true there are poor schools in America and many are in poor neighborhoods. It is also true that there are bad schools in most of the world and our worst schools are a whole lot better than most schools elsewhere. Somehow and for some reason, failing in a school elsewhere is the failure of the student. In many black communities, failure is always regarded as the failure of the schools, as if the student had nothing to do with the destiny he or she chooses. Education is the key to future successes. It is free, available to all. Immigrants from all over the world come here because they understand that even with the handicap of language and cultural barriers and differences, they see that reality. The learned the truth not from their own experiences, but rather, from the American experience
Mamacita, on more than one occasion has noted that
Pioneer or immigrant parents took great pride in their children’s bringing home information and knowledge not already known by the parents. Free education was a miraculous and wonderful thing, a thing not even imagined in the old country where only the rich went to school.
Illiterate parents looked at their children’s books and dreamed of a better life for their kids.
Sure, there was suspicion; anytime a family is forced to deal with something new, there is going to be suspicion. But mostly, there was tremendous pride.
In the novel ” A Tree Grows In Brooklyn,” the illiterate grandmother lifted her new granddaughter and said simply, “This child has been born of parents who can read and write. This, to me, is a great miracle.”
This is a lesson that needs to be learned in much of the black community. It also needs to be said that being poor or on welfare has nothing to do with getting an education.
There are too many blacks in prison because all too often in the black community, when someone is convicted of a crime, their family collectively shrug their shoulders and say, ‘Oh well.’ Outrage is misdirected when it is leveled against everyone and anyone other than the criminal. Bill Cosby speaks to that truth (we urge you to read the speech given at that link) and others and many in the black community ignore him.
The most tragic remarks made by Senator Obama came when he made clear he could not repudiate Jeremiah White any more than he could repudiate his family or his community.
All over the South, brother fought against brother to bring an end to slavery. In more modern times, families and churches were split apart because of segregation. Americans in the civil rights era rejected their community and in some cases, even their family, so that they might ‘hear the bell of freedom ring.’ In the Middle East, some Arabs reject their culture and community because they refuse to accept the hate and violence.
In Europe, the relatives and descendants of some of the most despicable people to ever walk the face of the earth, reject their fathers and grandfathers and what they stood and fought for.
Jeremiah Wright may love dogs. So did Adolph Hitler and other more minor bigots. Being kind to animals or recycling or growing organic vegetables in Idaho is not a measure of our humanity. Being kind to other humans is.
Every hater and bigot has family and friends that they care for. That Wright never spoke hatefully in Obama’s house is nice but means nothing. Just because haters do not preach hate at a child’s birthday party does not mitigate who and what they are.
Obama could have rejected Wright and welcomed him back if he were to renounce his racism and bigotry. Instead, he shrugged his shoulders and hopes for the best.
Obama had the opportunity to be a true American hero. Our heroes are flawed and we love them the more for that. He rejected out of hand the bigotry and racism of Jeremiah Wright- but he did not reject his own poor judgment in sitting in the Trinity United pews and the tacit approval that gave Reverend Wright.
Barack Obama could have been reborn as a Great American hero. Instead, he chose to be average.
Senator Obama wants us to move on past Reverend Wright’s bigotry. He wants us to give the preacher a free pass and forgive the preacher his past and his sins. of course, Obama isn’t really talking about Jeremiah Wright.
He’s talking about himself- and so the fairy tale ends.
