Point 1: William Ayers
Here's the facts... William Ayers was once a member of the radical, anti-war, "Weather Underground Organization", responsible for a dozen bombings between 1970 and 1974 (Barack Obama would have been 8-12 years old during this time). Mr. Ayers is currently a distinguished professor at the University of Illinois-Chicago and a prominent, influential figure in Chicago democratic politics.
In 1995, State Senator Alice Palmer chose Mr. Ayers home to announce she was stepping down from the State Senate to run for Congress. Among a handful of others, she decided to invite to the event, her chosen successor, Barack Obama.
Between 1999 and 2002, Mr. Ayers and Mr. Obama both served on the board of the anti-poverty charity group, the "Woods Fund of Chicago".
In April of 2001, Mr. Ayers donated a whopping $200 dollars to then-State Senator Obama's re-election fund.
And that's basically it... Attempting to make anything more out of this and tie Senator Obama to Mr. Ayers' radical views during the time Senator Obama was a child half-a-world away is just ludicrous. Here’s a wild parallel... The current Pope was enrolled into the Hitler Youth in 1941 after his 14th birthday. Now does that make the Holy Father guilty by association of Nazi atrocities? I know this is an extreme analogy, but goes to prove my point. This extreme twisting of guilt-by-association is just a distraction meant to influence people who may not have all the facts. (BTW: In all fairness to the Pope, membership in the Hitler Youth was legally required in Germany beginning in 1939.)
Point 2: Reverend Wright, and "God damn America"
To echo the sentiments of columnist/author Dan Savage, I too might say "God damn my mother!" when she's out of line and really pisses me off... and I love her dearly and unconditionally, as I, and I'm sure Rev. Wright, loves this great country. What is wrong with rebuking the people and things we love the most when they're clearly in the wrong? Remember, as an ex-Marine who faithfully served this country, Rev. Wright is also a patriot. Additionally, as a black man who lived through segregation, riots, and worse during the height of the civil rights movement, he has a first-hand perspective that tends to stick with a man.
But again, taken out of context, this all becomes a twisted, guilt-by-association attack on Barack Obama that is just as ludicrous as the Ayers attack - again, as a distraction meant to influence those who may not have all the facts.
What upsets me about these first two points is that they're used as political tactics by those who know that sensationalistic innuendo (and sometimes outright lies) spreads like wildfire to the public. What upsets me even more is that these same people also know that because the truth is usually not so sensational, it takes much longer to filter down to the masses... hopefully sometime well after the polls close. Case in point... if even one person refuses to vote for Senator Obama because they're still convinced he's a Muslim, then the tactic worked!... shame on those people.
Point 3: Flag Pins
Really?... I mean, really?!!... Look, putting the Senator's patriotism under a microscope at this level, and stirring up fervor over it is not only ridiculous, it's dangerous. To paraphrase Travis Smiley (in my own way), this type of massive suspicious questioning of patriotism can lead to rampant nationalism, which in-turn can lead a nation to jack boots and arm bands. This type of diversion needs to stop before it gets out of hand.
Point 4: "bitter":
My mother would often get flustered in her speaking when she was impassioned, fatigued, or just plain mad... and whenever she'd gaffe and I called her on it, she'd always say, "Listen to what I mean, not what I say." I think this is good advice we should all take, especially when listening to the media or the opposition. It's for this reason I don't attack John McCain too badly when he mixes Shiites and Sunnis, and it's for this reason Senator Obama's "bitter" remark is really a non-issue. Listen to what the man meant, not what he said... and reject (AND denounce) anyone who focuses too much on syntax.
The travesty of it all:
The real travesty here is that these four mostly irrelevant points are what ABC News (and I now use the term loosely) chose to focus on during the majority of their "so-called" debate last night. It's what the Republicans will focus on going forward, it's certainly the sensationalistic crap Fox News likes to focus on, and sadly Senator Clinton's campaign does its share too. These are all four, utter distractions that keep the American people from engaging in serious dialogs regarding the relevant issues of our time. Remember… dirty tactics baby, dirty tactics.
In conclusion:
Forget this garbage! Senator Barack Obama is a true, unifying leader, and a great American. His candor and character are outstanding, his record and achievements, impeccable. Never in my lifetime have I witnessed a presidential candidate with the charisma, integrity and ability to deftly unite this nation and bring about real and lasting change in Washington that returns power to the American people - in such a way as to get us back on track to becoming a caring national family, tolerant international neighbor, and responsible global tenant.
In this election, don't let sensationalist political tactics cloud the real issues... Instead, look to the those who will best mobilize “we, the people” and get this great nation back on track... Look to Senator Barack Obama, and look to ourselves.
Obama '08Yes we can!!!
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