Our Next President: Is America Ready?

.... For her first Mormon President? Maybe. For her first female president? Maybe. For her first black president? I seriously DOUBT that.

I am NOT a political writer. I am an astute observer of people and their behaviors, my own included. I pay close attention to societal and individual trends, motivations, innuendos, needs, and other human conduct. And I write it all down.

That said, if you came here to find out about my politics, you are in for a disappointment. But if you are interested in knowing MY truth about America’s locale in her evolutionary spectrum of equality and objectivity, tune in. You’re in the right place.

Let’s begin with a look at the possibility of American voters choosing a Mormon for her next president. Could it happen in 2008? It certainly can. The question for voters has never been exclusively based on whether or not a candidate’s religion matches their own. For most voters, it has been a question of values: God, family, work ethic, love of country.

Of course there are places in history where we can cite religion as a matter of serious contention and the eventual basis for the voters’ choice. That is in line with the natural unfolding and evolving of any society. But when we take a closer look, the chasm of division was not very wide to begin with. It was simply a matter of understanding that while we were worshipping within separate parameters, we were sharing the same core values.

Historically our presidents were representatives, in majority, of the Episcopalian and Presbyterian religions. It should be noted, however, that Dwight Eisenhower, the 31st president, was of the Jehovah’s Witness sect. Herbert Hoover and Richard Nixon were of the Quaker sect. John F. Kennedy, as we know, was the nation’s first Catholic president. Therefore, it should be understood that non-traditional religious representation in the White House has established precedents.

What’s not been done as yet in American politics is voting a woman or a black man into presidential office.

Would you like to know what my response was to learning in early 2007 that Barack and Hilary would make a bid for the 2008 presidential elections? I rolled my eyes, sighed and said, “I guess we’re in for four more years of a republican presidency.” Why that reaction? Because we are NOT there yet. We are NOT ready.

A woman for president? Maybe. Eventually. But for now Hillary Clinton is NOT the one. Most of America sees Hillary as simply an extension of her husband Bill. And let’s not forget that a LOT of voters HATE her for numerous, legitimate reasons. Voting Hillary into the White House, as far as most people are concerned, would be tantamount to giving Bill four more years on top of the eight years he already spent as president.

A black man for president? I’m not going to say, never. But it’s NOT going to happen in 2008. Why? Race is too STICKY an ISSUE in America. It’s still a TABOO topic. Case in point: several hundred a month read this blog. On average twelve individuals will leave a comment for each article posted.

Barack Obama is one of a kind in American history, the FIRST black leader to stand on a UNIFYING agenda for change. His primary agenda does NOT focus on issues concerning the black community. But unfortunately for Barack and his supporters, what will overshadow his chances are the divisive platforms of his predecessors, the likes of Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, Shirley Chisolm, and Carol Mosley-Braun.

Whether or not they were running for political office, historically the primary interests of black leaders have been issues in the black community. I’m not saying that was a wrong position. It was necessary for the socio/political climate at the time.

Whites in America have justifiably bristled in response to the leaders of the black community. On both sides of the racial divide there have been reasons for suspicion of motives. White leaders in American history, past and recent, have not consistently tried to advance the interest of black Americans. By the same token, black leaders of America’s past and recent history, have taken an approach that suggests there will always be an outstanding debt owed by America to the black community. Neither approach can work to advance us as a societal whole. Barack Obama, in his wisdom, recognizes this, thus his unifying change agenda.

The reality is this: typically, precedents are set AFTER unprecedents FAIL. Also, if we are too afraid to TALK about RACE/BLACK/WHITE issues, then we are NOT brave enough to vote objectively, in private, for its representatives. It is only societal ills left unaddressed that run rampant in the dark and undercover: i.e., human trafficking, incest, media black-outs, for a few examples.

Where we stand as an America on our racial divide is still a sore spot that we’re not all ready to talk about… yet. Know why? The road to functional family living begins with a mirror that must be held in front of each family member. Are you really ready to take an HONEST look at yourself? You might want to do that before you head out to the polls.

Eyes wide open, icanseeclearlynow

The 2008 Presidential Elections....

Looks like the gloves are coming off. Hillary is starting to get a little prickly, Edwards, a little whiney, and Obama, though trying maintain his tread on the high road, a tad glib.

My article will appear sometime Friday night.

In the meantime, I thank you for your topic suggestions. I will select them according to their alignment with my posting themes.

"I Have A Dream That One Day This Nation..."

....We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality.
We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities.
We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one.
We can never be satisfied as long as our chlidren are stripped of their selfhood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating "for whites only."
We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote.
No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.
I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.
Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair.
I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men are created equal."
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, that one day right down in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.
I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exhalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.
This is our hope. This is the faith that I will go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood.
With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.
This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning, "My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrims' pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring."
And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania.
Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado. Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California. But not only that; let freedom ring from the Stone Mountain of Georgia. Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee.
Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.
And when this happens, and when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

--Martin Luther King, Jr.

August 28, 1963

Happy Martin Luther King Day Everyone!

Your Suggestions Are Welcome!

I'm supposed to have another post up here soon.

Soooo.... I was thinking..... why not take some topic suggestions! I would love to hear from you guys what you'd like to see me opine on next. You can leave your suggestions as a comment or you can send me an email: icans33clearlynow@yahoo.com.

In case you were wondering, I do intend on writing a post about the presidential elections.

I look forward to hearing from you!

Raise Your Hand If You're A Nappy-Headed Hoe!

The point isn’t about whether or not you feel comfortable with that moniker being assigned to you. The point is the right to free speech, plain and simple. Who among us was even listening to Don Imus before the media hyped this issue up? He is a shock jock, addressing his market audience, giving them what they tune in to listen to. I think he’s a clown and he performs for other clowns. But I don’t think he should have been fired.

The Rutgers Basketball team, who I’m sure had never even heard of him or his show before their call from the media, chose to respond to something that should really have been ignored. I don’t fault the players, those girls were the epitome of grace, doing as they were told. I fault the coach, C. Vivian Stringer, who I knew had her own motives for participating in a media circus. I’ll come back to that.

First let’s review. Nappy-Headed-Ho. Let’s talk about the derivation of these hateful words, words that won’t be found in ordinary English language. The word hoe used in the misogynistic lyrics of some rap music, is slang and means whore or slut. Its origin can be traced to Harlem in the early 1970s, a period of unsettled adjustment for blacks and whites. During this time, the legal and permissible inequities of the employment arena, left blacks with limited opportunities to provide for themselves and their families. A significant number of women turned to prostitution, a business that black men also turned to as pimps.

With braggadocious pride, the black men in this business, referred to themselves as pimps, while in disgust and dismissal, they referred to the women they prostituted as hoes. Eventually these words were adopted into the black mainstream of ordinary citizens.

The word nappy has its roots in British history, its definition, a cloth diaper. During the slavery era in America (1619 – 1860), the word was adopted to describe the texture of black hair. No one can say for sure whether it was adopted by the slave owner or the slaves themselves. What is certain is the slaves continued the use of it and it has been carried on by blacks to describe the texture of black hair since.

It is a derogatory word that black people have “turned around” to dilute its hateful origins. Among black women it has been used humorously to describe hair that needs to be straightened or hair that is beautiful in its natural state. Nappy has also been adopted by some blacks as title to their products, such as a song, a book, or a salon.

But, as usual, the opportunists rared their ugly heads for the chance of having a little spotlight. Let’s not waste time talking about Al Sharpton or Jesse Jackson continuing to advance their own self-interest wherever happenstance permits. And I’m not going to discuss the piping up of Oprah and Obama, two intelligent people who should have known better than to give in to the weigh-in pressure. I’d like you to turn your attention to the previously unknown woman outside of the college sports world, C. Vivian Stringer, head coach of the Rutgers Women’s Basketball team.

I’m willing to lay a hefty wager that the girls on that team, who were the “victims” of Imus’ “attack,” are not too happy with Coach Stringer for how she used them to advance her own self-interest back in April 2007. The news of Imus’ “attack” on the Rutgers’ team broke on April 6, 2007. Coach Stringer signed a book deal with Crown Publishing Group on April 19, 2007. Her autobiography is due out in March 2008. Hmmm… could a movie-making be in the works?

And yet, in the face of these kinds of controversy, so many people pop around like puppets, ignoring the REAL issues. The REAL issue is the fact that black people continue to battle their self-loathing, esteem challenges, embedded in their psyche since slavery. This self-loathing causes some black people to act out in hostility and menace towards one another, using words like bitches, hoes, nigger, nappy-headed, etc.

The REAL issue is that there’s an unspoken rule against white people using any of these words to describe black people, meanwhile black people can’t seem to find a way to stop the use of these words amongst themselves. The REAL issue is black people are divided on discouraging the use of these words.

The fact is free speech in this country is not and should not go away. No person or group has any right or rationale to stop anyone of us from saying what we want to say, regardless of their difficult history. The history of the world is this: survival of the fittest. The past is filled with countless races that were targeted with heinous acts against them, not just blacks.

For a lot of black people in this country, the REAL issue is white people, in their eyes, will NEVER be pardoned for the sins their white ancestors committed against the black ancestry as the world evolved and unfolded. THAT is why there will always be marches of protest and press conferences called whenever these situations develop.

Finally, the REAL issue is how easily we fall like dominoes when a hot-button topic flares up in the media-circus. The reality is we live in a capitalist society, where the bottom-line is our bottom-line. We’re all, myself included, just trying to sell our wares. As a result, sometimes, pawns (the girls on the basketball team) and scapegoats (Don Imus) are used. Who among us have not experienced the feeling of being a pawn or a scapegoat? It’s what makes the world go around.

So there it is. Pick your poison. You can play whatever role you like in these kinds of events. Do you want to make money? Have some spotlight? Have a pity-party? Or be entertained? The choice will be available to you at the next coming event.

On another note, name-calling and any reaction to it is soooo third grade.

Eyes wide open, icanseeclearlynow