CAN YOU DIRECT ME TO THE DEBATE?

Last night, there was a catfight on television, disguised as a Democratic debate. Facilitated by ABC and two of what I had considered to be their better journalists, Charlie Gibson and former Clinton advisor, George Stephanapoulos—at least until last night. In what I thought was supposed to be a two-hour debate about important issues, Gibson and Stephanapoulos grilled Barack Obama on his recent “bitter” remarks towards small town people and the Pastor Jeremiah Wright for the debate’s first forty-five minutes. Hillary Clinton then jumped into the foray, as Bugs Bunny would say, “dog-pile on the rabbit”. Hillary jumped in every time she could to take a dig at Obama by speaking of Pastor Wright’s comments saying, “were unacceptable and are offensive”. She then commented on Barack Obama’s being on a board with a man, who was part of the terrorist group named the Weather Underground. The sad part about Hillary’s attack is that her “razor-sharp, 3-in-the-morning” mind forgot that her own husband Bill Clinton gave a presidential pardon to two members of the Weather Underground. Again this debate was an example of how the Democratic party is blurring the line between themselves and the Republican party by attacking and not talking about the issues. I understand Stephanapoulos’ attacks, though biased and unwarranted, come from his loyalty of being advisor to Hillary’s husband, Slick Willie. It’s sad that neither, Gibson or Stephanapoulos felt a need to speak about the issues that plague and erode at America’s core. We have a steady escalating, 2.2 trillion dollar debt, which has made us “bottom bitch” to our respective “pimps” in China, Dubai and Russia. Our armed services have been overworked in the Iraq and Afghanistan. Our economy flaps back and forth like a freshly caught marlin on the deck of a South Florida trawler. American jobs are outsourced daily to other countries with the frequency of a Bush veto. and let's not forget that both a gallon of gas and a gallon of milk both cost $4-- that's right, a gallon of refined petroleum and cow piss are worth the smae thing. But I guess it’s more important to mold and carve at every, benign, phrase uttered on the campaign trail like a neurosurgeon, then find out how these people will be the best person to lead this country out of it’s present Bush quagmire.

Last night and today TV and radio pundits have spoken of how Obama didn’t do well and should have returned the attacks to Senator Clinton. Those of you, who are black or should I say black and have common sense, because being black doesn’t always assure you common sense, (see Bob “Ni**a Jim” Johnson, Tavis Smiley, I really don’t have enough space or time to continue this list), probably understand that Obama has to be careful in his words when dealing with Hillary Clinton. As progressive as we are in America, we still live in a country, where men are expected to be chivalrous to women and Obama can't afford to be too brash, because bottom line--- drum roll please-- Barack Obama is a black man. Obama may have given a historic speech on American racial matters and may be close to taking the Democratic nomination, but if he even starts to seem like he is attacking, a sixty year old white woman, he goes from “one of the good ones” to being a thuggish-ruggish, ni**er in 3.4 seconds. In the end, if Obama gets the nod at least he’s getting a taste of what the Republicans are going to do to him. Buckle up Barack, it’s about to be a bumpy ride.

Now follow me! Follow me to freedom!

STUMPY HAS BEEN FINALLY FOUND

Stumpy the race elephant has finally been found. Yes, after hundreds of years of slavery and institutionalized racism of Jim Crow, Stumpy the two-ton race elephant has been found in the family room of this 3 BD, 2 BTH, ranch house called America. Stumpy has been walking back and forth through this house, tearing up furniture, taking dumps in the living room and knocking over sh** and never been noticed. He was found this morning by Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama. Obama was forced to speak on the subject of race, after offensive, incendiary remarks against America and white people were made by his long time Pastor Jeremiah Wright. Obama was subsquently, pushed by the "talking heads" to do the perfunctory denouncing and separation of association with his pastor.

Well, he did it in brilliant (and I don't like to use that word often) fashion before an audience in Philadelphia. He started the speech off with the words:

“We the people, in order to form a more perfect union.”

He opened this speech with his ultimate goal and hopefully the goal of this nation, so fractured, by class warfare and definitely race relations. Obama proceeded to denounce his "former pastor's words"-- and those were Obama's words-- and I don't know how much further he can separate himself from the man. Well, I have an idea, but that would be called manslaughter. As I listened I felt as I was watching a historic speech in the making. There are very few times, a person can truly realize when they're watching history being made and today we saw it. I finally felt in my lifetime that a politician was speaking to me as an adult American, who can take the unfiltered, truth instead of spewing sculpted lies to me. Mr. Obama took what was to be a defensive action against a media chomping at the bit and used it to speak to America, in the manner I believe he would if he held the office of POTUS. The man was clearly presidential in this speech and not just a potential nominee. He expressed that he knows one speech cannot solve this scab on America's history, but can we at least start to address it. In my heart I believe that today's words began to bridge the gap between the "Reagan Democrats" whites and "Clinton sure was good to us" blacks. He showed both groups their good and bad qualities and hopefully that he could denounce one's words and not the person. Hopefully, people will understand that we can BEGIN, not SOLVE, but begin to tackle the problem of race and make America see it's true potential.

As I close I know that the "talking heads" will cherry pick through this speech, and magnfy and critique what they feel is important. Barack Obama displayed the qualities I think we all want in a president, a man, who responds calmly, quickly and directly in the face of adversity. Obama made a call to America to grow up and with reward of growng up there are growng pains. If Obama's call is answered by America to acknowledge and finally feed Stumpy the Race Elephant some peanuts, history could show that this speech may have been the impetus. If not Stumpy's going to starve and keep tearing up sh**.

Now follow me to freedom!

THE NEW MODELS ARE IN

Here is a glass, dirty and its water foul. If you offer it to the people and they have no choice, they must drink out of it. But if they have a choice...

Elijah Muhammad, in the film, Malcolm X

We as human beings and even more as Americans like shiny, new things. For real, we as a people like us some new things with all the bells and whistles. It’s very natural to be drawn to that which is different from the norm, because again we like news things and have a choice. Without choice we must take what we get and be satisfied (or not, it's our CHOICE to be happy).

If you walk onto a car lot daily and there are 200 mint-conditioned, Diesel Mercedes Benzes, as good as these mint-conditioned steel, chariots may be, if a different model is placed on the lot, people are going to give it a look. But if a new, washed and waxed late model anything is on the lot getting it’s shine on, people will give it a serious look, as in the case of this year’s presidential race. After years and years of staring at 43 very similar models (see “white men”), two NEW experimental models have been placed on the lot with hopes that one of them will go into “production” (see "working in the white house") in 2009. And believe me, these models are turning heads. On one platform we have the Hillary Clinton, who is a woman that comes in a pearl white with a belief in universal health care and a husband, who actually held the office for eight years. And in the main showroom is the 08 Barack Obama, in a midnight black with a bright plan for America’s future and the belief that Washington, DC politics can change for the better.

I say this because in this race for the mortgage on the house at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue a lot of the “talking heads” are throwing about the theory “you’re only voting for Clinton because she’s a woman” or “you’re voting for Obama because he’s black”. Well, a lot of people are voting for McCain because he’s white. So people get over it. We as humans usually make decisions on what we see at first and then investigate further. Hence my car lot theory. A number of people are looking to Obama and Clinton because they are the new cars on the lot and most folks like “new extras” (see 'bells & whistles or way of thinking) that they will bring to the White House. McCain on the other hand is that pre-owned, dependable, diesel, automobile, but he’s still got crank windows, no cup holders and no cruise control. Folks respect the ride, but they're looking for what's new, not the same damn car we've been riding in for almost eight years. Now after you test drive the Clinton or the Obama (like most of their supporters did) and you’re still not feeling them, you don’t have to buy it. But if you like it, you have the choice to go with it because you investigated it and not because of some so-called, knee jerk reaction to color or gender. No doubt color and gender have played a part in people’s decision this election a lot, but that is because we haven’t had any other choices throughout history. Since 1789, white men have run this country for 309 years, but suddenly there’s an, uproar because a white woman or a black man thinks they can do it better. After 300 years I'd like to think you guys could give somebody else a shot. In the end, I’m buying me an, 08 model and I’m getting it loaded.

Now follow me to freedom!