Posts with the tag racism

Xenophobia

Jere — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 08:55:33 EST

To begin with, the topic of the sermon for Sunday, July 19, 2009 was extremely thought provoking. One of my prayer partners had a wonderful conversation with me about the meaning of the word itself and how it is applicable to church. Well, hang on heathcliffe, what an awareness of not only our attitudes as Christians, but also our attitudes and perceptions of others that we feel are different from ourselves.

In doing research on the topic itself before church, I came across many cultural and societal differentiations as well as spiritual. The most comprehensive statement was found on the MOST website and is as follows: “An attitudinal orientation of hostility against non-natives in a given population.” After much thought, meditation and prayer, I have reached a conclusion in my life that perhaps I need to work on better understanding various cultures even within Houston itself.

The feelings that I am having are of a migrant worker status, very transitory here in Houston, and not to be taken seriously. In other words, I to shall pass on to the next job, the next adventure, the next whatever, and will no footprint here in Houston, because it is not the way things have been done. I hear the demeaning way people talk about each other, IE: Wetback, Spic, Kike, Tennessean, Californian, Northerner, among others, and here I have concluded that being an outsider with different ideals, norms, situations, that I am not allowed to express these ideas, because of some preconceived notion that I and people like me will take over and change things. A great fear here in Houston, perhaps founded or perhaps unfounded, this remains to be seen.

In my feelings, growth does not mean destruction, knowledge leads to wisdom, communication with understanding leads to a melding and appreciation of various cultures and societal norms. Perhaps we are all afraid of the realities that surround us, varying ideologies, varying ways of doing things, each one not superior, but just a way of doing things. In my way of thinking and feeling, there is not a right way or a wrong way, there are just many ways to do anything and everything.

Without creating alarm, perhaps the question could be “What Would Jesus Do?”. We tend to leave that question as a stand alone question, however, I do see things a bit differently, and follow up with the question, “How Would Jesus Do It?” Just another way of looking at a very popular question in our Christian way of life. Are we Acting as a Christian should Act (by perception), or are we putting our Christian way of live into Action itself? Acting a part is exhilarating, to say the least, but actually living the life is a whole different concept perhaps, that many are not familiar with. Acceptance and understanding are majors parts of feeling and sharing love. Going on the premise that we are all sinners and are save by grace, are we not all equal in the eyes and sight of God? The bible speaks in Romans as well as throughout the New Testament of the differences that already existed in the Christian Faith, and the acceptance/understanding issues of the day. Perhaps we have not learned yet that in our cultural diverseness, there is a great strength and power for learning other ways, and while we may not adhere to them personally, they are all valid ways of expressions of faith, hope and love.

I believe for now, these are enough questions to approach a situation in all our lives and carry forward from here…

President Obama Won Nobel Peace Prize Because he ATTEMPTED What Others Would Not

Steve Sulkin — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 10:46:49 EDT

I sometimes believe that if President Obama wiped out all disease, brought peace to our planet, created unlimited energy sources and solved world hunger, I'd see an iReport question asking, "Does Obama Really Care or is he Just Showing Off?"

No matter how much good this man does, no matter how many accolades, he gets slammed by one half of the United States, the half that doesn't just want him to not be President but seems to despise his very existence.

Images accompanying articles about President Obama's Nobel Peace Prize, such as the one of a black peace dove with an olive branch in his mouth (an actual graphic in a Spanish newspaper) are shocking, but also revealing. Loaded questions from "iReport" on CNN asked, "Does Obama Deserve it?" and articles like "Now Obama Needs to Earn It" (and that was written by a supporter) shows just how deeply divided our world is about this man, for reasons of envy and racism.

Doesn't the world understand, President Obama was awarded this prize for to setting the tone for world peace, for TRYING to bring the world together to ultimately then accomplish levels of peace heretofore not known. It is in the act of TRYING that we are measured, not accomplishing. What have you done, lately, ask yourself, to TRY to bring peace to this world?

If the Nobel Peace Prize was only awarded for when people actually brought peace to this planet (as was seriously suggested by one person who said Obama should give the prize back until he's accomplished world peace), no one would ever win such a prize.

We need to encourage every individual who has the tenacity and the vision to stand up and say we won't take it anymore, we won't accept the status quo of hatred and war. President Obama is just such a person and that's why he was awarded this prize. This award is not based on what he might do in the future, it's based on what he has done, set the stage for our world to respect one another, the first prelude to peace. He's tried to bring our world together. And the resistance to that only proves how noble the trying is.

Let's give him a chance now to make the dream of a more peaceful world a reality and let us for a moment, put aside our hate, because by doing so, it is our only chance at peace.

UNITED AGAINST RACISM

WEBMASTER — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 12:46:34 EDT

Hi Friend

There is a new group that just started on Facebook that I thought Organizing for America members may be interested in joining. Please see United Against Racism -

http://apps.facebook.com/causes/354956/80588439?m=9dc74a6e

United Against Racism

posted by David Apperson

PRESIDENT CARTER - THANK YOU

Vera Richardson — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 01:54:24 EDT

In spite of my discriminatory employment experience I love this country. I attended the University of Florida for three years and I graduated from SUNY at Brockport in 1989. I majored in Political Science and minored in Criminal Justice. My only son served this country as a military police officer in the United States Marine Corp. He is currently a police officer a position that he has held for fourteen years.

I am SO thankful that President Carter addressed the fact that “some” people are opposing President Obama’s policy because of the color of his skin. Hopefully, President Carter’s remarks will put those in elected positions on notice that we are watching and listening to them. I am also hoping that it will give other Americans courage to take a stand against racism in any form that it may present itself to them.

It is not necessary for President Obama to address this issue because his supporters will address it for him. Our President is responsible for making this a more perfect nation for all of us and he has more than enough on his plate at this time.

I believe that President Obama has exhibited a spirit of cooperation with all the members in Congress regardless of political party. The economy is getting better, that the cash for clunkers program was successful, that the stock market is recovering it loses, and that the unemployment numbers are down. In spite of this clear evidence that President Obama has made wise decisions for this nation the Republicans have criticized and opposed him.

Vera Richardson

Obama School Speech Conclusion post Banning, Lincolnshire, IL

Steve Sulkin — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 11:50:47 EDT

MY CONCLUDING RESPONSE TO THE CONTINUED STANCE OF OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT THAT THEY DID NOT AIR PRESIDENT OBAMA'S SPEECH DUE TO CURRICULA CONCERNS (SEE THEIR LETTER BELOW MINE).

Dear Dr. Fleming,

The basic thrust of your follow up letter sent on September 11, 2009, explaining why you chose to not air President Obama's speech, was that it was a curricula and timing issue, that you looked at it, as you said, "from an educational perspective."

I respect your school, I respect you, so I say this with all due respect, that I feel that politics and pressure from your constituents was the major determining factor, not educational relevance.

Your previous letters regarding this matter indicated that you had received impassioned views on both sides of the political spectrum. This clearly influenced your and the board's decision. This is where I think the board erred. Politics should not dictate allowing children to listen to a speech from our President (any president Republican or Democrat). There is a respect that is granted to a sitting President when they decide to give a public speech. In 1991, when George H.W. Bush spoke to school children, some controversy existed, but it was minor, aimed at costs that the White House incurred, but it did not have any effect on the President's speech being carried by schools. And it did not devolve into the type of anger and even paranoia that we all observed this time around. Concerns that our children would be "brainwashed" by our President speaking are simply absurd and the school board has unwittingly supported those concerns by choosing to not air the speech. To do the norm, would have been the only way for the school district to remain neutral. And the norm is to carry such speeches. This is not a new concept, a President speaking to children at schools. It's been going on as long as their have been children and politicians.

I've reviewed the school board minutes of September and October, 1991 and I see no mention of the George H.W. Bush speech, so I can only assume that there was no controversy in the school system regarding carrying the speech. I would assume the same happened in the 80's when President Reagan spoke, that the school board supported the speech being aired. While I do not have direct evidence (though I would appreciate you sharing it with me if you do) that the board did or did not "turn on the TV's" in the schools and carry those speeches, I'm making the assumption they did, as school districts all over the U.S. did in those eras. There is nothing different about this President's speech, except that it was this President. And that's the last thing we should be teaching our children.

Thank you for your time and attention to this matter. I'm still hoping (and desiring) that the school board reconsider their position, that they reverse there decision (especially now that the speech's eloquence is so well known) and that they create a day in the future to inspire our children through our President's words. I'd suggest President's Day 2010. To simply make the speech available ad hoc misses the point. The idea of the speech is to create an event where the entire school comes together in an auditorium to inspire our children that education is the most important aspect of one's life. As President Obama said in his speech, "And no matter what you want to do with your life – I guarantee that you’ll need an education to do it."

I hope our children will in the future hear that message from our President.

Steve Sulkin

CONCLUDING LETTER FROM THE SCHOOL DISTRICT TO PARENTS

Lincolnshire-Prairie View School District 103

Administration Offices

1370 Riverwoods Road • Lincolnshire, Il 60069

847/295-4030 • FAX 847/295-9196

http://www.district103.k12.il.us

September 11, 2009

Dear Parents and Guardians,

We want to acknowledge and thank the 100+ parents who contacted District administrators, teachers and Board of Education members regarding President Obama's speech on Tuesday to American schoolchildren. Many who contacted us felt strongly that the District should not air the speech at all, and many others felt equally strongly that the District should air the speech

live. Please know that the Board of Education and District 103 staff respect all opinions expressed to us by our constituency.

As you know from my prior letter, we looked at the situation from an educational perspective. Consistent with District 103’s instructional guidelines, our staff previews all instructional materials to determine appropriateness of content for our elementary school children and to determine which materials best support our curriculum. In this case, the U.S. Department

of Education's late notification to schools on the date, time, purpose and content of President Obama's speech did not allow adequate time for us to review the speech and discuss its curricular use in the classroom prior to the date of the speech itself. That lack of time for reflection was magnified by the controversy swirling around the speech in the last few days before its live

airing. Under the circumstances, we felt and continue to feel that the proper approach was neither to ignore the speech nor to force a live classroom viewing, but instead to record the speech so that our teachers could review it and thoughtfully determine how it best fits with our curriculum and, where appropriate, how it could best be incorporated in the classroom.

During the last couple of days, our teachers have, in fact, been reviewing the speech and discussing its potential classroom use with one another. Based on that review and those discussions, over the next few weeks, teachers may show the speech to their classes and discuss it in connection with broader curricular themes. Given the broad range of viewpoints expressed about the President's speech, any District 103 teacher planning to use it in part or in whole as an instructional tool will notify parents in writing in advance of its use. If you prefer that your child not view the President’s speech, you may contact the teacher and an alternative activity will be provided.

For those parents and guardians who would like to first view and discuss the speech with your children at home, the District has provided a link to a video of the President's speech on the District website. You may also access the President's prepared remarks at http://www.whitehouse.gov/MediaResources/PreparedSchoolRemarks/.

Thank you again for your interest in this issue and in your children’s education. Your Board of Education and District 103 staff encourage continuing communication so that our District’s educational goals are consistent with the expectations and needs of the community.

Sincerely,

Larry K. Fleming, Ed.D., Superintendent

This is my America?

Myron — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 19:51:11 EDT

This is my America?

I was proud of my country not long ago. They saw past race and elected the first black president. I was as proud as an American can be; the operative word is “was”.

You see, I didn’t count on what had happen the past 10 to 15 years in politics. A party, lead by people so desperate to gain and hold as much power as possible, sold us all out. This country was created so the people could have a strong central government that represented all. In a democracy of any kind, the people are the government. But, that all changed when a party decided to highlight the bad and downplay the good that exist in any democracy. When deals were made and alliances created that went against American policy. When they decided to separate and conquer.

The religious were brought in despite separation of church and state. Politicians played to these beliefs and used it for votes. The poor was portrayed as being on the “dole” and lazy just living off the people in spite of the actual working poor or those who had no choice but to rely on handouts. True, some abused but most didn’t. To farther divide, pictures of minorities were used to help most Americans separate their feelings of walking away from the poor. Even though welfare has more white than minorities. Minorities were also used to show how tough on crime they were and how they protected Americans when most minority crimes are against themselves.

The government was painted as evil, raising taxes, bad managers (even when the managers, the leaders, were speaking of themselves). They managed to fool the public into thinking the government was some huge, suppressing entity when in reality, the government was the people.

The rich, the powerful, corporations were substituted for the government as good and what was right for the people. The “free market” and private industry was given as the great alternative. The people cheered and went along while companies such as Enron, WorldCom, AGI, to name a few, grew bigger and stronger while the government, the people, became weaker. They in time had more power and say so than the people with their own elected leaders.

We were heading toward a new America. A new government was emerging in which the few controlled the many; a totalitarian government. Democracy was about to die with the blessings of the people with cries like “Greed is good”.

But, mistakes happened. Some of the corporations became too greedy, too powerful. Those in charge began to believe they where untouchable and mistakes began to be made; the house of cards fell.

Then, a man came, intelligent and charismatic and the people, already in trouble, turned to this man in droves for help. They didn’t realize changes made fast cost. But, the people was used to being given promises and having a bone thrown to then every now and again to keep them quiet. But, no bone was thrown, only hard work to return the government to the people where it belonged.

Meanwhile, the losing side, with money power and anger, tried to destroy all. When a hand was extended to them for peace, the shook the hand and plotted. They attacked without end to keep the direction of America changing in their new direction. The attacked without mercy, spreading lies and deceit while a media frenzy feed of the hate and helped to spread the lies. They watered down a stimulus package in the guise of “bi-partisanship”. Then complain about how ineffective it is. The place a black face on its white party to show they are not what they appear to be. They take an unintentional comment and make it into something it was not “racist”. All the while manipulating a media looking for the next big story and hiding behind slogans such as “fair and honest” and “unbiased reporting” while forgetting the truth they promised the people.

A black man, one in which I am proud to say I look up to, is being compared to a history monster. Good intentions are being destroyed and the truth buried. So many lies have gotten the public confused; lives of public officials are being threatened. All the while the powerful and true leaders of the right, the rich, the corporations, look and wait.

You see, a weak government makes them more powerful and rich, so they create chaos and watch as their political mouthpieces defend the actions as “free speech”. A health care plan aimed at not only helping our economy but also to help keep 400 to 1600 men, women and children from dying each year is being sold as “socialism”. We have again placed money before lives, how do we explain to a mother who has just lost her child the in was just too expensive?

But, I have seen the worst, children wearing swastikas and calling a black man Hitler. What is this country becoming?

I heard a reporter once ask, “how can a black man be ashamed of his country?” At this moment, I ask, how can he not.

“A disappointed black man”

Birthers

Henry M — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 15:28:38 EDT

Henry M

While the Gates Saga provides a teachable moment the dialogue must include classism,sexism,ageism, discrimination against gays, ethnic and religious prejudice in order for this country to begin to confront its own devils.

Claudette Milner — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 18:14:18 EDT

There has been much focus on the Gates saga. I hope that it will be a teachable moment for the country but I am also saddened that it takes a major event to open the dialogue about race in this country and the fact that we have not included classism, sexism, ageism, discrimination against homosexuals, ethnic and religious discrimination.

For twenty five years I have written about the victories and struggles of children. I have tried to expose our innermost prejudices and provide solutions to some issues and open the dialogue on current issues that children face.

“Children of Plains Estates” and “Unheard Voices”: Children of Plains Estates is now being offered for a limited time for $6.99 on the publisher’s website. www.publishamerica.com

There are no simple answers to discrimination but I do believe that this series of books will open the dialogue to discuss our biggest secrets and our own stereotypes and bigotry and hypocrisy.

Claudette Milner is the author of “Children of Plains Estates” and “Unheard Voices”: Children of Plains Estates. Her third book will be titled “Silent Tears”: Children of Plains Estates.

Website: www.claudettemilner.com

To book Ms. Milner to speak at your conference : www.wwsa.biz

How to Protect Yourself When You Suspect Racial Profiling

Eric from Covina, CA — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 18:08:42 EDT

BENEATH THE SPIN • ERIC L. WATTREE

How to Protect Yourself When You Suspect Racial Profiling

Well, racial profiling is in the news again.

Prominent Black scholar and Harvard professor Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr. was recently arrested after a forced entry into his own home. Dr. Gates alleges that he was arrested for spite after he'd presented his identification, then repeatedly insisted that the officer provide his name and badge number.

Racial profiling cannot be defended. It is a horrible affront to the constitution, the rule of law, and to every law-abiding citizen, but I'm not addressing that issue here. The one issue that is at least as important as racial profiling itself, is how to best protect yourself if you suspect you're the victim of racial profiling. After all, that could become a matter of life and death.

The Police Acted Stupidly

Khaidji — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 10:02:41 EDT

Imagine the conversation in the USA was about Health Care and suddenly twisted to race because a Black Professor from Harvard who lectures about race is arrested in his own home by Sergeant Crowley because a neighbor saw him breaking into his own home. If the neighbor was close enough to see the incident, why doesn’t the neighbor also know that the professor is a disabled Black man who walks with a cane and therefore recognized him? Given it was dark and they couldn’t see properly, why doesn’t the police quietly knock on the door to establish contact? Why the, “Step Out” routine. If they can’t go in then why would they expect a burglar to come out?

The Police Acted Stupidly

The President dared to say what he can

He described actions and not the character of the policeman

Even with his measured and careful word

People attacked what they think they heard

On that night when the arrest was made

Lawman, who trains other acted stupidly, I’m afraid

Invading ones own home, how could this be?

Could a man jimmying his own lock be described as guilty?

Even when he says to the police he’s the lawful owner

Are there no checks that would verify this, is there no procedure?

Can I expect that had this man been a White

That he would’ve been meted out that same treatment, that night?

Ever considered the mood you would have been in

Disgusted from your circumstance now the police, outside, beckoning?

Sir! Get out the house! And you asked, Why? Cause I’m Black?

This is no reason for the police to get out of whack

Using a cane, standing 5’5”, with proof of ID

Police surely could’ve walked away, even without an apology

I agree with the President and think our trained policemen

Diffuse many more volatile incidents, so why not then

Locked emotions, Professor Gates and Sergeant Crowley

Years of racial mending being broken because the police acted stupidly.

Holding Her Fire--Sonia Sotomayor Confirmation Hearings

Madama Ambi — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 01:01:01 EDT

I've been watching the Sotomayor hearings and have found it painful to watch Judge Sotomayor eat so much crow and show so much deference to men who are behaving badly. Yesterday I wrote a rant about Lindsey Graham but hesitated to post it because I wasn't sure if I would respect myself in the morning. Funny, I do respect myself upon re-reading, but the rant seems already out-of-date, yesterday's news. Or maybe posting a rant feels completely disproportionate to the racism, sexism and pure condescension displayed by the Republicans. What I mean is that I have lived my life as an intelligent woman who has also had to suck it up when white men condescended to me. I just kept thinking about the contradiction between the characterization of her as a "bully on the bench" and this warm, gracious, generous, deferential, patient woman answering to a pack of assholes. I can only surmise, but there's got to be a connection here...and I'm guessing that when one comes from the projects and grows up Latina and has intelligence and ambition, that sucking it up becomes simply survival. After all, all of us live in a pecking order at some time in our lives. And so, with all of that stored up ducking and smiling when what she really wants to do is verbally eviscerate these smug senators, I can see how she would be unleashed on the bench and show her firepower. I want to see her firepower very much, and I hope that TV will be allowed into the Supreme Court. It will be an education for the whole country, and I don't mean just a course in jurisprudence. Women and men need to see, on a regular basis, a highly intelligent woman in a position of real power. They need to learn appropriate deference and respect for women in power.

National Day of Service Results!

Dr. Gina — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 01:28:03 EDT

First and foremost, my volunteer committee is AWESOME!!! It was a wonderfully planned event. We encouraged over 50 people to seek their health care reform answers. And I must say the Redmond PCC's "Grillin' & Chillin'" event is deliciously healthy and AWESOME!

I enjoyed almost the whole day. My committee reasonably agreed to NOT proselytize health care reform and convert people. ALL we wanted to do is inform people and encourage them to write their legislators on their views of health care and any reform. Those who absolutely do not want reform were NOT forced. Those who needed more information, some of us briefly supplied it--pretty much HealthReform.gov. NO PRESSURE!!!

Then the switch in shifts. Volunteers who were untrained. Even after training, arguments ensued. Only a couple of us served on this committee--an lucky me--I had to deflect asinine behavior. Now I KNOW I WAS CORRECT IN STOPPING IT!

1) PCC IS A BUSINESS AND THEY DO NOT WANT THEIR NAME RAKED THROUGH ANY MUD--COMMITTEE AGREED

2) THE EVENT IS A COMMUNITY SERVICE IN A MAINLY CONSERVATIVE AREA SO SUPPORT THE NONPROFIT! COMMITTEE AGREED!

3) HANDING OUT LEGISLATORS ADDRESSES, TELLING PEOPLE HOW TO WRITE LETTERS TO THE EDITORS WITH NEWS MEDIA ADDRESSES AND IF THEY WANTED TO SHARE THEIR STORIES IS ALL THE COMMITTEE AGREED TO DO!

So why in the HAYLE are asinine people discussing that mammography radiation causes breast cancer, so don't get mammography? That is irresponsible and that is not a conversation to engage in this event.

I called it off and the ASININE people decided to call the manager of the store to bust me--I KNOW WHY--RACISM!

How can a BLACK WOMAN be professionally in charge of this? Typical of the area. Why am I not shocked? Now if I did go off in my sistah-mode, folks would have called the po-po. I am so sick of this bigotry. It is dumb!

Right Wing Hate Groups

Beth — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 22:22:23 EDT

I do not understand people who hate so much. What a waste of time and energy. The man who attacked the Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C. today sickens me. He has been hating since at least the 1970s. If he had not expended so much energy hating and blaming others for his misfortunes, perhaps he could have done something productive with his life. Of course, the ability to spout hate speech and the ease with which people can acquire guns makes todays events unsurprising. People seem to forget that you can do what you want, as long as you don't infringe on the rights of others. Saying you want a group of people to die sounds like infringement to me. The government should do something to shut down these hate groups. Something has to be done....what can we do? I feel so helpless.

International Event - Education under Attack in Australia

"Voice for Humanity" — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 16:35:40 EDT

By Padmini Arhant

In continuation of the topic on racial attacks against Indian students (from India) in Melbourne, Australia, the incident in the new millennium strikes resemblance to apartheid in South Africa until it became free in 1994.

Australia designated as the industrialized nation, multicultural yet homogenous society…devoid of major ethnic representation in politics, democratic with mandatory voting (the only democratic nation to impose penalty for not voting) and,

A willful participant in all U.S. led major conflicts from Vietnam to Iraq - is a commonwealth nation sworn allegiance to Great Britain’s monarch as the head of the Republic.

The nation from “down under” celebrated bicentennial in 1970 and 1988 to commemorate the permanent white settlement is not a young republic and not new to controversies either.

More @ http://www.padminiarhant.com

Thank you.

Padmini Arhant

The Issues we have with the Arab-Muslim world

Unknown user — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 00:48:45 EDT

The Issues we have with the Arab-Muslim world - What Pres. Obama should mention

- Teaching that non-Muslims are non humans, such as Christians are "pigs" and Jews are "apes".

- Sharia law (implementation) horrors, including oppression of women.

- Honor killings epidemic.

- Playing "victim" while being the aggressor, such as the Arab "Palestinians", Taliban, etc.

- The Genocide campaign by radical Islam (Hezbollah, Hamas, Ahmadinejad, etc.) on Israel / Jews.

- Bigoted Islamism: Persecution, oppression of and apartheid against all non Muslims in the Islamic world (including in S. Arabia, Palestinian Hamas, etc.).

- Racist Arabism: Persecution, oppression of and apartheid against all non-Arabs in the Arab world, especially of native Egyptians (Nubians), Kurds, Copts, Assyrians, Berbers (native N. Africans), Jews (not just inside Israel), Africans (Africans living in Arab countries and the racist slavery in Sudan, Mauritania... genocide in Darfur). The wide justification of Islamic violence all over the world.

- Squeezing the world economy by power of oil prices (OPEC).

- From the 22 Arab countries so far, they all range from totalitarianism to corruption, not even one has managed to be real free, equal and democratic.

- The global Islamic radical campaign to dominate the world - untamed by "moderate" Muslims.

International News and Developments - Education under Attack in Australia

"Voice for Humanity" — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 18:08:33 EDT

By Padmini Arhant

Prelude: The topic will touch base on the human rights violation and much more about the nation from “Down Under” – Australia.

The United States preoccupied in numerous important events unfolding by the hour, international community set their eyes on the much-anticipated speech from the U.S. President Barack Obama in Cairo, Egypt and,

Other industrialized nations engaged in criticizing China on the eve of Tiananmen Square; similar events involving the brutal racist attacks on Indian students lured to the Australian educational institutions could not compete effectively in the press and media coverage.

As a website committed towards issues generally isolated by the large focus groups in the media and press, a detailed analysis on the appalling incidents concerning Indian students systematically targeted for their ’skin color’ in the new millennium, twenty first century is attention worthy.

Please stand by for the in-depth coverage on the topic presented shortly.

Meanwhile, please take a moment to review the You-Tube images of the incidents and the victims’ plight in the “socially-advanced” nation in southern hemisphere - @ http://www.padminiarhant.com

Thank you.

Padmini Arhant

Tamils blocked Westminster Bridge in London

Unknown user — Mon, 18 May 2009 20:12:08 EDT

Representatives of the British Tamil community blocked the Westminster Bridge in London after reports of the assassination of Sri Lanka, the leader of the Tamil separatist organization the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Velupillaya Prabhakarana.

On the arrests of demonstrators Regiment were reported. However, according to police, there were more than two thousand people.

While Sri Lanka is celebrating the end of the civil war chetvertvekovoy, London Tamils mourn the death of the leader of the LTTE.

Police have not yet managed to crowd of demonstrators blocked the vehicular traffic on Westminster Bridge.

As a result of the deterioration of the situation in Sri Lanka, Britain found itself in a literal sense, "between two fires."
Tamil Promo paralyzed central London

Earlier, in response to requests by the British Tamils to intervene and prevent a humanitarian catastrophe in the Tamil parts of Sri Lanka London appealed the cease-fire and investigate possible violations by government troops.

Now, against the backdrop of the celebrations in Sri Lanka from the British embassy in Colombo has been the demonstration of some thousands of opponents of policy in London, who is now accused of supporting militants.

The demonstrators threw stones and burned the building diplomatic doll in the form of the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the United Kingdom David Milibanda, reports Sky News.

It was reported that a military operation against the rebel movement Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) concluded on Monday, May 18, said the commander of the Sri Lankan army general Sarath Fonseca, according to which "resistance separatists finally broken."

Earlier, the military of Sri Lanka announced the elimination of the leader of the rebel movement Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Velupillai Prabahakarana. In addition, it was reported that Sri Lanka's army destroyed four Tamil Tiger leaders, among whom was the son of Velupillaya Prabhakarana - Charles Anthony.

***

According to the UN, because the current fierce fighting with government troops Tamil militants more than 265 thousand have fled their homes, becoming refugees.

European Union called on the Government of Sri Lanka as soon as possible to ensure full access for humanitarian organizations to the UN to the zones, where fighting ended. At the same time, several European ministers, in particular, first Foreign Ministers of Great Britain and Sweden, were in favor of an "independent investigation" of facts of violations of rights of the Tamil militants, and by government forces of Sri Lanka, killing civilians.

According to the Foreign Office David Milibenda, distributed a "very serious allegations" of committing war crimes by both parties to the conflict, and they must be thoroughly investigated. "

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Aboriginal Jews, Native Jews, their natural rights in their historic homeland VS Arab immigrants ("Palestinians")

Natalia from Acampo, CA — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 21:36:43 EDT

Aboriginal Jews, Native Jews, their natural rights in their historic homeland VS Arab immigrants ("Palestinians")

Their fight against the bigotry by Arabism & Islamism who won't "accept'" them

Contents

Definition

Israel - Rightful Historic Homeland of Aboriginal Jews

Canadian MP and former justice minister Irwin Cotler: For Israel, rooted in the Jewish people, as an Abrahamic people, is a prototypical First Nation or aboriginal people, just as the Jewish religion is a prototypical aboriginal religion, the first of the Abrahamic religions.

In a WORD, the Jewish people is the only people that still inhabits the same land, embraces the same religion, studies the same Torah, hearkens to the same prophets, speaks the same aboriginal language - Hebrew - and bears the same aboriginal name, Israel, as it did 3,500 years ago.

Israel, then, is the aboriginal homeland of the Jewish people across space and time. It is not just a homeland for the Jewish people, a place of refuge, asylum and protection. It is the homeland of the Jewish people, wherever and whenever it may be; and its birth certificate originates in its inception as a First Nation, and not simply, however important, in its United Nations international birth certificate.

The State of Israel, then, as a political and juridical entity, overlaps with the "aboriginal Jewish homeland"; it is, in international legal terms, a successor state to the biblical, or aboriginal, Jewish kingdoms. [1]

Historical Roots

Jews

Aboriginal Rights to Israel, Aboriginal Native Jews to Israel "Palestine"

There is an enormous body of archaeological and historical evidence demonstrating that the Jewish People -- like the Greek People or the Han Chinese People -- is among the oldest of the world's Peoples. Thus, it is well known that the Jewish People has more than 3,500 years of continuous history, with a subjective-objective national identity that, in each century, has kept a link to the land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. For example, the Jewish Bible, the Christian Gospels and the Koran all specifically testify to the connection between the Jewish People and its historic homeland. Like other Peoples, the Jewish People has a right to self-determination. Though the self-determination of the Arab People is expressed via twenty-one Arab countries, Israel is the sole expression of the self-determination of the Jewish People, which of all extant Peoples, has the strongest claim to be considered aboriginal to the territory west of the Jordan River.

Thus, the Jewish People is aboriginal to Israel in the same way that, in Canada, certain First Nations are deemed aboriginal to their ancestral lands. And, it is noteworthy that the Supreme Court of Canada has decided that, where aboriginals maintain their historical connection with the land, aboriginal title can survive both sovereignty changes and influx of new populations resulting from foreign conquest.Yet, (bigotry by) Arabs, Muslims have denied that the Jews are a People within the context of the modern political and legal doctrine of the self-determination of Peoples. Keeping in mind that the Middle East has always had a significant Jewish population, including some Jews who, in each century, continued to live west of the Jordan River. Today, many of the sons and daughters of these Middle Eastern Jews are citizens of Israel, where they have been joined by Jews from many other countries. When In October 1917, the British Cabinet adopted, as a declared war aim, the creation of an entirely new country called "Palestine" to serve as "a national home for the Jewish People," it was done to help realize the Jewish People�s self-determination on its ancestral lands... so was the announcment to the world of Jewish-National-Home Palestine in the November 1917 Balfour Declaration. As the international decision to establish "a national home for the Jewish People" was the sole rationale for the 1922 creation of Jewish-National-Home Palestine which, under the aegis of the League of Nations. While deep into the 20th century, Arab leaders themselves failed to recognize the right to self-determination of a distinct Palestinian Arab People. For example, as principal Arab leader at the 1919-1920 Paris Peace Conference, Prince Feisal specifically accepted the plan to create Palestine as �a national home for the Jewish People� and his father, the Hashemite King of the Hedjaz (later part of Saudi Arabia) was party to the 1920 Sevres Treaty that explicitly stipulated that the newly-created Palestine would be "a national home for the Jewish People." [2]

One has described a "remarkable synergy" between the Australian aboriginals and the Jews: "The Jewish community is an ancient and oppressed people, as the Aborigines are; we were the indigenous people of the land of Israel who were kicked out of our land 2000 years ago." [3]

Jews - Ancient Indigenous Natives in the area

There's extensive research on The Dhimmi: (Indigenous) Jews & Christians Under Islam [4], 850,000 Jews had to flee Arab Muslim lands where they had lived for centuries - often longer than the Arabs who now claim to be its indigenous national people. [5]

JIMENA stands for: 'Jews Indigenous to the Middle East and North Africa', it is a human rights organization seeking to educate and advocate for the plight of Jewish refugees from the Middle East. Prior to 1948, approximately 850,000 Jews lived in Muslim countries of the Middle East, North Africa, and the Persian Gulf. Today, 99 percent of these ancient Jewish communities no longer exist due to Arab and Islamic government actions that directly led to their displacement. [6]

Jews are a multi-racial, multi-ethnic people. For about 50 years, the majority of the Jewish population of Israel has been Mizrahim - Jews indigenous to the Middle East and North Africa. Moreover, this community of Jews has lived in the Middle East and North Africa since time immemorial. Until the mid-twentieth century, in the 4,000-year history of the Jewish people, Mizrahim never left the region. (When Arab Muslims conquered the Middle East and North Africa, Jews were one of the few indigenous peoples that resisted conversion to Islam), [7]

Arabs

Arab immigrants and their lies about being "natives"

The Arabs in the Holy Land - Aliens, not Natives! [8], The True Identity of the So-called Palestinians. The current myth is that these Arabs were long established in "Palestine", until the Jews came and "displaced" them. The fact is, that recent Arab immigration into the Land of Israel displaced the Jews. That the massive increase in Arab population was very recent is attested by the ruling of the United Nations: That any Arab who had lived in the Holy Land for two years and then left in 1948 qualifies as a "Palestinian refugee". Palestinians are the newest of all the peoples on the face of the Earth, and began to exist in a single day by a kind of supernatural phenomenon that is unique in the whole history of mankind, as it is witnessed by Walid Shoebat, a former PLO terrorist that acknowledged the lie he was fighting for and the truth he was fighting against: "Why is it that on June 4th 1967 I was a Jordanian and overnight I became a Palestinian?" "We did not particularly mind Jordanian rule. The teaching of the destruction of Israel was a definite part of the curriculum, but we considered ourselves Jordanian until the Jews returned to Jerusalem. Then all of the sudden we were Palestinians - they removed the star from the Jordanian flag and all at once we had a Palestinian flag". "When I finally realized the lies and myths I was taught, it is my duty as a righteous person to speak out". [9], in fact, the myth of the Palestinian People serves as the justification for Arab occupation of the Land of Israel. [10]

An explanatory film came out to 'dispel Arab propaganda', on the tactics disguising the Arab immigrants as "indigenous native Palestinian" [11]

Even Fatah's Mahmoud Abbas Admits Palestinian Arabs Are Not Indigenous. From a speech given to the PLO [12]

A writer in: 'The Myth Of The Palestinian People,' Only one question never seems to be addressed: Who are the Palestinians? Who are these people who claim the Holy Land as their own? What is their history? Where did they come from? How did they arrive in the country they call Palestine? Not only pre-state Arabs lied about being indigenous. Even today, many prominent so-called Palestinians, it turns out, are foreign born. Edward Said, an Ivy League Professor of Literature and a major Palestinian propagandist, long claimed to have been raised in Jerusalem. However, in an article in the September 1999 issue of Commentary Magazine Justus Reid Weiner revealed that Said actually grew up in Cairo, Egypt, a fact which Said himself was later forced to admit. But why bother with Said? PLO chief Yasir Arafat himself, self declared 'leader of the Palestinian people', has always claimed to have been born and raised in 'Palestine'. In fact, according to his official biographer Richard Hart, as well as the BBC, Arafat was born in Cairo on August 24, 1929 and that's where he grew up. [13]

A writer in "The Real Palestinian Refugees": Jews have lived in Israel/Palestine for 4000 years and those Jewish families who have constantly lived in the country since Biblical times, the mustarabim, are the indigenous Palestinians. (There has never been a 2000 year absence).

The first Arabs came to the country in the 7th century in the wake of their conquering armies after the death of Mohammed. They've been immigrating, and emigrating, ever since, bringing with them their civil wars (in which Jews were severely persecuted by both sides) and their screwed-up environmental concepts that turned forest into desert. Other groups of peoples also immigrated to Israel/Palestine during this time, especially the Druze. (Today, if you call a Druze an Arab, you've just insulted him. This was told to me by a Druze.) Perhaps the earliest Zionist pioneers did have to fight Arab marauders and make the desert bloom, but they did not come to an empty land. Maybe it was sparsely populated, but it was not empty of Jews.

In 1920/1. The first Palestinian refugees were Jews. In the aftermath of WWI, after the Arab riots.

In 1922, in a continuing policy of appeasing the Arabs, 75% of Palestine was taken away from the Jews and the Emirate of Transjordan was created, later to become Jordan. First the British, then the Arabs, banned the entry of Jews from the area - a policy that continued until very recently. [14]

Desolated "Palestine" in the late 1800

The Land of Israel, according to dozens of visitors to the land, was, until the beginning of the last century, practically empty. Alphonse de Lamartine visited the land in 1835. [15]

On a visit to the Ottoman-controlled Holy Land in 1860, Mark Twain described it as "the prince of desolation." "The hills are barren� the valleys unsightly deserts� peopled by swarms of beggars struck with ghastly sores and malformations� Palestine sits in sackcloth and ashes� only the music of angels could charm its shrubs and flowers again into life."

Other writers and artists visiting the Holy Land (chiefly from Britain and Germany) � as well as geographers, archeologists, and cartographers � were equally stunned by its utter desolation.

It was only toward the end of the 18th century, when a growing stream of Jewish immigrants rehabilitated the land � draining swamps, reclaiming deserts, and controlling the diseases (chiefly malaria) � that a decimated Arab population began increasing. The resuscitation of the land by the Jews and the economic opportunity they created brought an influx of Arab immigrants from dirt-poor neighboring Arab states to swell the number of Arabs in Palestine, so that by the turn of the century there were about 250,000 Arab Muslims and 150,00 Jews living there. 100,000 Christians and others was common colonial practice: divide and rule. In India, it enabled the British to subdue the subcontinent with few troops by pitting hostile segments of the indigenous population against each other. They employed this strategy in Palestine too. British officials, many of them avowed anti-Semites, fanned Arab resentment over broken British promises to make the Arabian chieftain, Faisal, king of Damascus and Syria, and redirected it against Jewish aspirations in Palestine. Their naming the mandate over the Holy Land "Palestine," rather than the land of Israel, was a deliberate effort to obliterate the Jewish connection to the land by calling it by its Roman name. [16]

In the early 19th century, Palestine was a backward, neglected province of the Ottoman Empire. Travelers to Palestine from the Western world left records of what they saw there. The theme throughout their reports is dismal: The land was empty, neglected, abandoned, desolate, fallen into ruins.

In Jerusalem, all reports and journals of travelers, pilgrims and government representatives during these years, repeatedly record the poverty, filth and neglect and the desolate nature of the countryside. Early photographs show lepers in rags and dilapidated buildings. Jerusalem was surrounded by marauding bands of Bedouin Arabs and had to close her gates at nightfall and reopen them at first light, a practice that was similar in Biblical times.

Some quotes from the writings of these visitors before modern times:

Nothing there [Jerusalem] to be seen but a little of the old walls which is yet remaining and all the rest is grass, moss and weeds. [English pilgrim in 1590]

The country is in a considerable degree empty of inhabitants and therefore its greatest need is of a body of population. [British consul in 1857]

There is not a solitary village throughout its whole extent [valley of Jezreel] -- not for 30 miles in either direction... One may ride ten miles hereabouts and not see ten human beings. ... For the sort of solitude to make one dreary, come to Galilee ... Nazareth is forlorn ... Jericho lies a moldering ruin ... Bethlehem and Bethany, in their poverty and humiliation... untenanted by any living creature... A desolate country whose soil is rich enough, but is given over wholly to weeds ... a silent, mournful expanse ... a desolation ... We never saw a human being on the whole route ... Hardly a tree or shrub anywhere. Even the olive tree and the cactus, those fast friends of a worthless soil had almost deserted the country ... Of all the lands there are for dismal scenery Palestine must be the prince. The hills barren and dull, the valleys unsightly deserts [inhabited by] swarms of beggars with ghastly sores and malformations. Palestine sits in sackcloth and ashes ... desolate and unlovely ... [Mark Twain, The Innocents Abroad, 1867] [17]

National Liberation

Israel - result of a national Liberation of the aboriginal Jews

Israel can be seen as the result of the national liberation movement of the region's aboriginal Jews. Liberation of the aboriginal Jews (and anyone else lucky enough to find refuge within Israel's borders) from the twin fascisms of pan-Arabism and Islamism which have oppressed and even eliminated so many of the region�s aboriginal ethnic groups. Israel's aboriginal Jews were not unique in accepting outside help (and even immigration) in their liberation struggle, so were Lebanon's Maronites; Egypt's Copts, Iraq and Turkey's Kurds, and Iran's Zoroastrians. [18], as a commentator said: It is immoral to ethnically cleanse Judea of its aboriginal Jews. as It is immoral to ethnically cleanse Australia of its Australian aborigines, It is immoral to ethnically cleanse Judea of its Jewish aborigines (Jews = originally from Judea). [19]

One major difference between the Jews' return to the Land of Israel and the restitution of the title that indigenous groups have to their traditional lands in Australia and Canada is that the latter occurred within the political framework of states that have established legislative and judicial institutions and law enforcement agencies. These institutions draft the principles that define the relationships among all of their subjects, and they settle any disputes which might arise. In contrast, the Jews' return to Palestine occurred in an international context in which such legislative, judicial, and law enforcement institutions were in their embryonic stages. [20]

Adolf Hitler / Nazis hated Arabs "inferior race," yet used them as disposable tools against Jews

Unknown user — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 02:04:10 EDT

Adolf Hitler / Nazis hated Arabs as an inferior “race”, yet praised Islam in its ‘war like’ TOTALITARIAN ideology He saw them as a great disposable tool to be used against the Jews, the mufti fell for it.

SPLCenter.org: The Swastika and the Crescent, Although he loathed Arabs (he once described them as “lacquered half-apes who ought to be whipped“), Hitler understood that he and the Mufti shared the same rivals, British and the Jews… http://www.splcenter.org/intel/intelreport/article.jsp?pid=242

ESSAY - May 2002 By Martin A. Lee …Ahmed Huber: Neo-Nazi, Islamic convert… The roots of the Muslim Brotherhood and, in many ways, the Nazi-Muslim axis go back to the organisation’s formation in Egypt in 1928. Marking the start of modern political “Islamic fundamentalism,” the Brotherhood from the outset envisioned a time when an Islamic state would prevail in Egypt and other Arab countries.

The growth of the Muslim Brotherhood coincided with the rise of fascist movements in Europe - a parallel noted by Muhammad Sa’id al-’Ashmawy, former chief justice of Egypt’s High Criminal Court, who decried “the perversion of Islam” and “the fascistic ideology” that infuses the world view of the Brothers. Youssef Nada, current board chairman of Al Taqwa, had joined the armed branch of the Muslim Brotherhood as a young man in Egypt during World War II. Nada and several of his cohorts in the Sunni Muslim fraternity were recruited by German military intelligence. Hassan al-Banna, the Egyptian schoolteacher who founded the Muslim Brotherhood, also collaborated with spies of the Third Reich. Advocating a pan-Islamic insurgency in British-controlled Palestine, the Brotherhood proclaimed their support for the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Amin Al-Husseini, in the late 1930s.

The Grand Mufti, the preeminent religious figure among Palestinian Muslims, was the most notable Arab leader to seek an alliance with Nazi Germany. Although he loathed Arabs (he once described them as “lacquered half-apes who ought to be whipped”), Hitler understood that he and the Mufti shared the same rivals - the British, the Jews and the Communists. They met in Berlin, where the Mufti lived in exile during the war. The Mufti agreed to help organise a special Muslim division of the Waffen SS. Powerful radio transmitters were put at the Mufti’s disposal so that his pro-Axis propaganda could be heard throughout the Arab world. http://www.aijac.org.au/review/2002/275/essay275.html

War aims in the second world war: the war aims of the major belligerents …‎ - by Victor Rothwell - History - 2005 - 244 pages (Page 41) However, the Nazis were clear in their minds that the Arabs were racially inferior, and there would, therefore, be no pleasure to be had from helping them in anything except for the extermination of Jews in their region. http://books.google.com/books?id=XfgLbSc94MEC&pg=PA41

Islam, Nazism, and Totalitarianism

During an interview conducted in the late 1930s (published in 1939), Carl Jung, the Swiss psychiatrist and founder of analytical psychiatry, was asked “…had he any views on what was likely to be the next step in religious development?” Jung replied, in reference to the Nazi fervor that had gripped Germany We do not know whether Hitler is going to found a new Islam. He is already on the way; he is like Muhammad. The emotion in Germany is Islamic; warlike and Islamic. They are all drunk with wild god. That can be the historic future. Albert Speer, who was Hitler’s Minister of Armaments and War Production, wrote a contrite memoir of his World War II experiences while serving a 20-year prison sentence imposed by the Nuremberg tribunal.

Speer’s narrative includes this discussion, which captures Hitler’s racist views of Arabs on the one hand, and his effusive praise for Islam on the other:

Hitler had been much impressed by a scrap of history he had learned from a delegation of distinguished Arabs. When the Mohammedans attempted to penetrate beyond France into Central Europe during the eighth century, his visitors had told him, they had been driven back at the Battle of Tours. Had the Arabs won this battle, the world would be Mohammedan today. For theirs was a religion that believed in spreading the faith by the sword and subjugating all nations to that faith. Such a creed was perfectly suited to the Germanic temperament. Hitler said that the conquering Arabs, because of their racial inferiority, would in the long run have been unable to contend with the harsher climate and conditions of the country. They could not have kept down the more vigorous natives, so that ultimately not Arabs but Islamized Germans could have stood at the head of this Mohammedan Empire. Hitler usually concluded this historical speculation by remarking, “You see, it’s been our misfortune to have the wrong religion. Why didn’t we have the religion of the Japanese, who regard sacrifice for the Fatherland as the highest good? The Mohammedan religion too would have been much more compatible to us than Christianity. Why did it have to be Christianity with its meekness and flabbiness?” http://www.andrewbostom.org/content/view/61/55/

The roots of Arab Anti-Semitism - By David Greenberg - Slate Magazine Oct 31, 2001 … As he notes, anti-Semitism in Arab countries (and non-Arab Islamic states such as Iran) …. East—they were eager to make common cause with Hitler, despite Nazi belief that they, like the Jews, were inferior to Aryans. … http://www.slate.com/id/2057949/

The third Reich & the Palestine question - Francis R. Nicosia - 2000 - History - 319 pages (Page 85) Most Arabs never realized that the Nazis would consider them racially inferior as well and that Germany had no intention of undermining British authority in … http://books.google.com/books?id=xh4m-OMrhJUC&pg=PA85

The Nazi Connection to Islamic Terrorism: Adolf Hitler and Haj … Chuck Morse - 2003 - History - 188 pages (page 53) … as Hitler was known to have described the Arabs as “lacquered half-apes who ought to be whipped,” to a lower race … http://books.google.com/books?id=HGkthBwbNg8C&pg=PA53

Despite Hitler’s personal antipathy towards Arabs, who he once described as lacquered half apes who ought to be whipped, he nevertheless was prepared to … http://www.thecst.org.uk/docs/An%20unholy%20alliance%201801%20original.doc

The Beast Reawakens: Fascism’s Resurgence from Hitler’s Spymasters …Martin A. Lee - 1999 - Political Science - 560 pages (page 122) Even though he loathed Arabs (he once described them as “lacquered half-apes who ought to be whipped”), Hitler was nonetheless the idol of the paramilitary … http://books.google.com/books?id=SX4B7pNG3W8C&pg=PA122

What a world:: Racist Arabs & Islamic bigots call the victims of their racism - "racists"

Natalia from Acampo, CA — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 16:46:02 EDT

What a world:: Racist Arabs & Islamic bigots call the victims of their racism - "racists"

Forget the fact that Israel is multi-racial for all colors from the whitest of white to the darkest of black, whereas Arab countries (including "Palestinian" authorities") asides from oppressing all non-Arab minorities, are almost entirely "judenrein", but in democratic Israel, an Arab can get the highest office!But the brazenness of Arab racism not only fails to admit of it's racist war on Jews/Israel since the 1920's, but it brands Israel's defense FROM it as "racist"..

___________

Israelis aren't 'racist' - they're worried Op-Ed Contributors ...Israel's Arab citizens are being drawn toward radicalism by their leadership. http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull&cid=1167467807212

[Racism of] Killing Jews in Israel a young Israeli student at Hebron University was gunned down while jogging through a mixed neighborhood of Jews and Arabs. The al Aqsa Brigade, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Yassir Arafat's Fatah movement, joyously claimed credit for the killing of yet another innocent Jew. When it was later learned that the jogger was an Arab-Israeli and not a Jew, al Aqsa quickly apologized to the family, calling it an accident. But the killing of the innocent young jogger was not an accident; the murderer had deliberately taken aim at his head and midsection, intending to end his life. The only thing accidental about the murder was the religion of the victim. The al Aqsa Brigade had sent the assassin to murder a Jew - any Jew, so long as he was a Jew.This is racism, pure and simple. And despite efforts by supporters of Palestinian terrorism to justify the murder of innocent civilians as national liberationor by any other euphemism, this case proves that the Palestinian terrorists targeting of Jews and only Jews - as many as possible - is little different in intent than other forms of lethal or exterminatory anti-Jewish murders (I dont use the term anti-Semitic only because some Arabs claim that because they too are Semites, they cant be anti-Semitic). Obviously the numbers are different, because Israel is capable of defending its Jewish citizens, but if it were not, the goal of Palestinian terrorist groups would not be very different from that of previous groups intent on murdering as many Jews as possible. http://www.israelnewsagency.com/israeljewsracismdersh130112.html

The Hamas advocates Killing Jews, simply for being Jews http://www.imra.org.il/story.php3?id=14650

If justifying the murder of innocents because they belong to a certain hated group is not abject racism, I'd like to know what is.http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/999795.html

______________

MAHMOUD AHMADINEJAD 'Racist' speech walkout‎ - Apr 21, 2009 Diplomats from across the world have walked out of a speech delivered by Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at a global anti-racism conference, ... http://www.bild.de/BILD/news/bild-english/home/regularieninhalte/world-news-ticker/world/2009/04/21/mass-walk-out-at-un-conference-after-racist-iranian-speech.html

Lebanon news - NOW Lebanon -Western leaders horrified at 'racist ...Western leaders horrified at 'racist' Ahmadinejad speech. April 20, 2009. Western leaders recoiled in horror Monday at a fierce anti-Israel outburst by Iran's president at a UN ... http://www.nowlebanon.com/NewsArticleDetails.aspx?ID=89673

When representatives of many Arab and Muslim nations publicly applaud Ahmadinejad's racist rant, the real losers are the Palestinians. ... http://www.tikkun.org/article.php/durbanII

Islamists threaten terror attacks in Germany (For betraying 'Granddad Hitler' / Islamo-nazism)

Natalia from Acampo, CA — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 16:40:35 EDT

Islamists threaten terror attacks in Germany (For betraying 'Granddad Hitler' / Islamo-nazism)
adnkronos ^ | 04,22,09

Terrorism: Islamists threaten terror attacks in Germany

Berlin, 22 April (AKI) - The Al-Qaeda linked Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan on Wednesday released a video threatening the "criminal" German government and citizens of the Jewish faith, according to German media.

In the video, the third released this year, shows a man identified as "Commander Mohammad", who criticises the presence of German troops in Afghanistan.

The man accuses "the sons of Germany of being in the service of the Jews" unlike "Granddad Hitler".

Investigators believe the video's release may be linked to a major Islamist terrorism trial which opened on Wednesday at a high-security court in the northwestern German city of Duesseldorf .

In the trial, three Germans and one Turkish national are accused of planning a series of simultaneous bomb attacks against discos and pubs and the United States airbase in Ramstein and against Germany's Federal Prosecutor's Office.

Two of the German suspects are converts to Islam while the third is a German citizen of Turkish descent. They face charges of belonging to a terrorist organisation, plotting murder, and conspiracy to conduct a bomb attack.

The trial is expected to last one to two years. If the defendants are found guilty, they could face prison terms of up to 15 years.

Prosecutors claimed the men were planning to use about 10 times as much explosives as were used in the deadly July 2005 attacks on London transport that killed 56 people and injured thousands.

The plot was at an advanced stage and the attacks could have killed over 50 people, according to police.

Around 300 German federal agents were involved in monitoring the cell for several months, before police swooped in on the group in what was one of Germany's biggest anti-terror operations to date.

Three of the defendants were arrested in the Germany's western Sauerland region and the fourth was arrested in Turkey and extradited to Germany in November last year.

Prosecutors say the four men belong to a little-known group called the Islamic Jihad Union with roots in Uzbekistan and ties to Al-Qaeda.

http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/Security/?id=3.0.3239023359

A few points about the racist UN - Durban "anti-racism" conference

Natalia from Acampo, CA — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 03:38:40 EDT

A few points about the racist UN - Durban "anti-racism" conference

1) When will Arab racists & Islamic bigots let go of the UN and stop hijacking it with it's lobbies (silencing Arab racist genocide in Darfur, yet daming innocent Israelis who merely try to survive)?

2) Why is Arab terror singling out Jews not racist?

3) Why is the essence of the entire "conflict'" in the M.E. not a form of bigotry by Arab Muslims who can't "accept" the non Arab non Muslim pluralistic democratic Israel?

4) Are Jews living, or even allowed to live in racist "Palestinian" controlled territories (Judenrein - ethnic cleaning)?

5) When will lefty radicals (Meretz/B'Tzelem) talk about preferential treatments to Arabs OVER Jews inside Israel, like in Hebron and in other cases?

6) Why are (Arab Palestinian or Hezbollah) the ones using its own kids as cannon fodders considered "innocent victims"?

7) Is Israel battling just terrorism or an ARAB MUSLIM CAMPAIGN OF GENOCIDE since the 1920's?

8) Since Muslim nations (OIC & Iran) push to criminalize criticism of Islamists' bigotry, doesn't it mean that anything being said in that conference is the opposite of tolerance and of truth?

9) How can the UN avoid the largest practitioner of racism, which is Arabism (against: Kurds, Berbers, Africans, Jews, Assyrians, Asians, etc.), but focuses on the so called "anti-Arab racism"?
[ http://geocities.com/panarabism - Arabism is racism! ]

10) How more racist can the Durban-conference get, If the two oppressive regimes: Libya & Iran are the "stars"?
Libya - whose Muamar Qaddafi (besides his own persecution of non-Arabs, especially blacks in his country) the one of the champions in today's racist Arabization, and Arabist racism against Africa (whose "vision" has been compared to Hitler's "lebensraum"), in: Chad, Nigeria, etc., ultimately his crimes in the Sudan region helped in leading the current Al-Bashir's genocide on Millions of Africans (financed mainly by Libya and S. Arabia).
Iran, the regime of Islamic bigotry's oppression on its own population with an added special persecution on all on-Muslims: Christians, Baha'i, Jews, etc. or on non-"pure-Persians" like: Ahwazi - Arabs, Kurds, Azeris, Baluchis, etc. now under the leadership of: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad [EichmannJihad - the Islamic Hitler] who plays as if he "denies" the holocaust only in order to prepare for (his wishful) the second, "wiping off Israel".
Thus, the shame of the UN, kidnapped by the epitome of intolerance today, the infamous twin fascism: Arab racism, as in Gadhafi, and Islamic bigotry as in Amadinejad, are going to be "preaching" (and determine) to the world on tolerance.

Obama Administration to Boycott UN's "Racism" Conference

White House Prayer Team — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 23:59:34 EDT

The Obama administration quietly announced this weekend that it would boycott an international conference about racism and discrimination because of concerns that the conference unfairly singles out Israel for criticism and because the conference may set the stage for restrictions on free speech.

The United Nations conference is set to begin tomorrow in Geneva, Switzerland.

Protesting what their leaders see as anti-Semitic and anti-Israel overtones to the conference, Australia, Canada, Israel, Italy and Sweden are also not sending delegations.

Acting U.S. State Department spokesman Robert Wood Saturday issued a statement saying that the 2009 Durban Review Conference draft outcome document "still contains language that reaffirms in toto the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action (DDPA) from 2001, which the United States has long said it is unable to support" because it "singles out one particular conflict and prejudges key issues that can only be resolved in negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians."

"Its inclusion in the review conference document has the same effect as inserting that original text into the current document and re-adopting it," Wood said. In addition, he added that the United States "also has serious concerns with relatively new additions to the text regarding 'incitement,' that run counter to the U.S. commitment to unfettered free speech." Earlier drafts of the document expressed disapproval of any "defamation of religion."

Wood said: "Therefore, with regret, the United States will not join the review conference."

Human rights organizations expressed disappointment at the decision.

“From the outset we have shared Washington’s deep concern about the efforts by some governments to use the racism meeting to single out Israel for criticism and to promote the idea that religions should be protected over rights, ” said Juliette de Rivero, Geneva advocacy director at Human Rights Watch. “But governments have now excised troubling language about the Middle East and ‘defamation of religion’ from the meeting’s draft resolution.”

Congressional Black Caucus chair Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., said the CBC was "deeply dismayed" by the President's decision.

``This decision is inconsistent with the administration's policy of engaging with those we agree with and those we disagree with,'' she said. "By boycotting Durban, the U.S. is making it more difficult for it to play a leadership role on U.N. Human Rights Council as it states it plans to do. This is a missed opportunity, plain and simple.''

The announcement was not unexpected.

In February, Wood said that "the document being negotiated has gone from bad to worse, and the current text of the draft outcome document is not salvageable." United Nations Ambassador Susan Rice told Politico's Ben Smith that the document was "rife with anti-Israeli and other problematic substance" and "not a credible basis for a responsible outcome." The Obama administration had worked with the Russian leaders chair the conference, as well as senior United Nations officials, on making changes to the document.

Ultimately some changes were made -- and specific mentions of Israel were removed -- but not enough to satisfy American policymakers.

The draft outcome document specifically "(r)eaffirms the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action (DDPA), as it was adopted at the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance in 2001."

Much of the debate at the 2001 conference focused on whether or not Zionism was inherently racism, prompting the US and Israeli delegations to withdraw from the conference. An early draft called Israel "a racist apartheid state" and referred to Israel's "systematic perpetration of racist crimes, including war crimes, acts of genocide and ethnic cleansing."

The final language in the DDPA 2001 document, was much tamer, though no other country or struggle except for the Israel-Palestinian conflict was singled out for criticism.

"We are concerned about the plight of the Palestinian people under foreign occupation," it stated. "We recognize the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and to the establishment of an independent State and we recognize the right to security for all States in the region, including Israel, and call upon all States to support the peace process and bring it to an early conclusion."

Calling the conference "a celebration of racism and vile anti-Semitic activity" and "further evidence of the U.N.'s inability to demonstrate any semblance of fairness or objectivity on these issues when it comes to the Jewish State," the American Israel Public Affairs Committee issued a statement applauding President Obama's decision as "the right thing to do and underscores America's unstinting commitment to combating intolerance and racism in all its forms and in all settings."

Jake Tapper is ABC News' Senior White House Correspondent based in the network's Washington bureau. He writes about politics and popular culture and covers a range of national stories. We thank you Jake for this blog posting.

The race card by Arab Muslim bigots at the UN (Durban II)

Natalia from Acampo, CA — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 02:26:34 EDT

The race card by Arab Muslim bigots at the UN (Durban II)

Even though it’s really Islamism that is the epitome of bigotry and it’s Arabism that Equals Racism against all non-Arabs, including: Kurds, Berbers, Jews (not only inside Israel), Persians, Africans (not only the millions of victims in Sudan), etc. and as an Arab admitted the true Nature of the Twin Fascisms of Islamism and Pan-Arabism’ that dominates the Arab Muslim world , yet the UN, in its Durban proclaiming to be an anti-racism forum, bows to the Arab Muslim lobby control to ignore the above but concentrate rather on anti-Arabism and Islamophobia, both terms which have been used as tools by Islamists to gage any criticism of intolerance in the Arab-Muslim world (and radicals have been politicizing genuine feelings, to call true fear of terror as “racism” ).

______________

Kicking Israel Around [Anne Bayefsky] April 07, 2009 What’s behind all this? The OIC countries are locked in a struggle with EU states over the ability to stifle free speech (such as “defaming” Islam) in the name of protecting religion. The Russian move helps the OIC nations by letting them use the anti-semitism clause as a bargaining chip, to be played in exchange for the EU’s allowing free-speech restrictions. In a related issue, the Danish are unhappy with the mention of something the U.N. invented called “anti-Arabism.” That phrase has been inserted in the paragraph about discrimination in the form of Islamophobia, Christianophobia and anti-semitism. But the rest of the EU has told the Danes to get lost, on the grounds that if the EU proposes deleting anti-Arabism, the OIC will insist on deleting anti-semitism. As EU officials explain to observers, “We want to show restraint.”

http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=Mzk3YjI3NDQxNDMzYzE1ZTQ4NzY4ZjU4Y2VkNTE4ZTI=

Human Rights of Non-believers, Apostates and Free-thinkers “The terms belief and religion are to be broadly construed”. General Comment 22 on Article 18, United Nations Human Rights Committee, 1993. We find paragraph 10 of the draft outcome document to be deeply flawed in that it singles out only Christians, Jews and Muslims as named victims of “phobias”. Furthermore, while the term “Islamophobia”, for example, is undefined, it is used to falsely equate disdain for or opposition to Islam with intolerance of, or violence and hatred towards the believer. Secondly, no mention is made in paragraph 10 of discrimination, intolerance and violence towards non-believers, Polytheists, apostates, and free-thinkers. Yet the human rights of non-believers, free-thinkers and those of other faiths are systematically denied in many parts of the world, and many face discrimination, abuse and even death. We urge delegations to recognise that all are entitled to protection from discrimination, whatever their belief or lack of belief. We therefore respectfully suggest either that the list of specific types of discrimination be deleted from paragraph 10, or the list be expanded to include non-believers, polytheists, apostates and free-thinkers. We are equally concerned that anti-Arabism is included in the list, while no mention is made of the anti-Westernism endemic in many parts of the world. Again, we would respectfully suggest that either the reference to anti-Arabism be deleted or that the list should be extended to include anti-Westernism. Our preferred text, which we respectfully offer to delegations, then becomes: 10. Recognizes with deep concern the negative stereotyping of religions, beliefs and non-beliefs, and the global rise in the number of incidents of racial or religious intolerance and violence. With, as an alternative: 10. Recognizes with deep concern the negative stereotyping of religion, beliefs, and non-beliefs, and the global rise in the number of incidents of racial or religious intolerance and violence, including Judeophobia, Christianophobia, Islamophobia, anti-Arabism, anti-Westernism and intolerance and violence towards non-believers, polytheists, apostates and free-thinkers.

http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/025617.php

Islamic Agenda: “Defamation of Religion” The Islamic Group (Pakistan) stated, “Defamation is not about freedom of expression, but the abuse of this freedom.” Iran was very active throughout the week, taking the floor more than any other country on this issue. It consistently advocated “elaborating” legislation to fight racism, proposing further, “Model legislation on the necessity of upholding respect for…reputation, public morals as well as incitement to racial and religious hatred [code for defamation].” As the debate on defamation was getting underway, the chair asked two journalists to leave the room, explaining that members of two regional groups had requested that the cameras be removed from the room in that they have had adequate time for filming. The journalists were from the French-German cultural channel ARTE and were making a documentary about the human rights debate at the UN. Pakistan, South Africa, and Egypt expressed their concerns that these journalists would engage in “selective interpretation” of the discussion. Counter-terrorism, Islamophobia Pakistan wanted to include even more language to equate counter-terrorism with racism. Pakistan, Algeria, and Iran also wanted the words, “Islamophobia” and “anti-Arabism” to remain in the document.

http://www.unwatch.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=bdKKISNqEmG&b=1316871&ct=6645721&printmode=1

Online News Service: Racism in Journalism

Tom Awtry — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 23:52:35 EST

I am, to use an old slang phase, a WASP! I did not elect to be nor am a shamed to be labeled this phase, but my today’s gripe regards a well subscribed to online political news source, which I subscribe to named “Politico”.

Several days ago, a story published by Politico was posted entitled: “Blacks, whites hear Obama differently”, which I deem out of place for a News Service. I subscribe to Politico for factual news that’s happening in our local, state and federal government and not about an opinion that could cause another point of contention in our already troubling political environment taking place in Washington.

Edward R. Murrow expounded on the dangers of television on society, so why should it be any different for journalists on the Internet? Should an individual care to voice their opinion or thoughts on racism, there are numerous website to subscribe to.

Here is the article I’m referring to:

No Place forRacism

Blacks, whites hear Obama differently
By NIA-MALIKA HENDERSON | 3/3/09 4:09 AM EST

On his pre-inaugural visit to Ben’s Chili Bowl, a landmark for Washington’s African-American community, President Barack Obama was asked by a cashier if he wanted his change back.

“Nah, we straight,” Obama replied.

The phrase was so subtle some listeners missed it. The reporter on pool duty quoted Obama as saying, “No, we’re straight.”

But many other listeners did not miss it. A video of the exchange became an Internet hit, and there was a clear moment of recognition among many blacks, who got a kick out of their Harvard-educated president sounding, as one commenter wrote on a hip-hop site, “mad cool.”

On matters of racial identity, many observers in the African-American community say he benefits from what’s known as “dog-whistle politics.” His language, mannerisms and symbols resonate deeply with his black supporters, even as the references largely sail over the heads of white audiences.

This is part of the reason that as a candidate, Obama won intense support among African-Americans while never being branded, in the fashion of a Jesse Jackson, as a candidate defined by race.

In January remarks about the economy, Obama made a reference to “American dreams that are being deferred,” a phrase black audiences understood without a citation as black poet Langston Hughes’. First lady Michelle Obama often cites her upbringing in the “South Side of Chicago.” On Election Night, the winner promised that “we as a people will get there,” an echo of Martin Luther King Jr. made more powerful by not expressly invoking King’s name.

Or a year ago in South Carolina, when he tried to swat down the persistent rumors that he is Muslim. “They try to bamboozle you, hoodwink you,” Obama said that night, in what many listeners heard as an unmistakable reference to activist Malcolm X, as portrayed in Spike Lee’s movie.

“All of us knew that he was referencing Malcolm X, and when he said it, the reaction was instantaneous,” said William Jelani Cobb, a professor at Spelman College who specializes in black history and politics.

Dog-whistle politics was hardly invented by Obama. One of its most deft practitioners lately was President George W. Bush. He regularly borrowed the language of evangelical Christianity and the anti-abortion movement to signal he was simpatico with their beliefs, even as he often avoided obvious displays of support that might turn off middle-of-the-road voters.

“The code words matter, how you dress matters, how you speak matters; it’s all subliminal messaging, and all politicians use it,” said Michael Fauntroy, an assistant professor of public policy at George Mason University, who specializes in race and American politics. “Ronald Reagan used to talk about making America the shining city on a hill, which is about America as divinely inspired, and it has a deep vein in the evangelical conservative movement. It goes on all the time, and there are so many circumstances when only the target people get the message.”

But Fauntroy said the stakes were higher for Obama, who had to “deracialize himself.”

John McWhorter, a linguist at the conservative Manhattan Institute, said that he believes that in Obama’s case coded messaging, which can be a matter of words, sound or grammar or all of them, is partly conscious because “he knows it arouses black audiences.”

“Black English, especially the cadence, is becoming America’s youth lingua franca, especially since the mainstreaming of hip-hop. Its sound conveys warmth, authenticity and a touch of seductive danger not only to blacks but many whites, especially ones below about 50,” McWhorter said. “Obama’s tapping into that cadence helped win him the election. Imagine John Kerry or Hillary Clinton saying, ‘Yes, we can!’ It would have sounded phony — only in what I call a ‘black-cent’ can it sound prophetic and arousing.”

“The connection that Barack Obama has to the black community and the connection George Bush has to the evangelical community began long before they began running for president. It was a natural and deep connection, politics aside,” Fleischer said. “When they became candidates, it was a powerful, strong bond that created a base for both people. … But genuine speech with conviction has tremendous power, and there always is a tendency for the base to hear the deeper message and say, ‘That was sweet. He’s talking to me.’”

Bush used phrases lifted from church hymns and the Bible to signal an affinity for like-minded Christians. The phrase “culture of life,” became part of the political lexicon when Bush used it weeks before the 2000 election — it was a less political, more evangelical version of “pro-life.”

Bush also recognized that he had to tread carefully with his evangelism — keeping his most loyal voters satisfied, even if following through on policy initiatives might be difficult.

As for Obama, an aide declined to talk about whether it was a matter of strategy.

Beyond speech, blacks have picked up certain of Obama’s mannerisms, particularly his walk, that signal authenticity. Bush had his cowboy strut, and Obama has a swagger — a rhythmic lope that says cool and confident and undeniably black. It was most noticeable on his first post-election trip to the White House, some said.

“The swagger was out of control, dragging the left foot, it was like, ‘Barack, you have got to calm down,’” said Melissa Harris-Lacewell, a Princeton University professor who teaches courses in politics and black studies. “The swagger thing just got worse and worse during the campaign. … I am sure David Axelrod told him to stop swaggering. … I can’t imagine that anyone is telling him to do that.”

“In those circumstances, it is his blackness kind of squishing out of the edges. It’s not the same thing as deploying it like Bush did, but it has the same effect … solidifying his base of black folks,” she said.

Yet the question remains as to how far style or even swagger can take Obama among black people, without matching policies seen as beneficial to the black community.

“The swagger goes a long way for Barack, a long way,” Harris-Lacewell said, adding that the black support will mean a boost in polls. “Black people were strong supporters of Clinton because of race. … If it works for someone who is just symbolically for the black president, it will be very powerful for the actual black president.”

Notably, Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele has used phrases recently like “bling bling” to describe the stimulus package and “off the hook” to describe the new RNC outreach plans, at a time when he is trying to step up the party’s appeal to African-American voters.

Beyond stylistic gestures, Obama has made several overtures to the black press since winning in November. His first print interview as president-elect was given to Ebony and his first print interview as president was given to Black Enterprise. And at his first press conference, journalists from the black press were given prime seating — yet weren’t called on for questions.

Strategy or not, Obama’s efforts will likely continue, some said, and so far have helped.

“I think that the combination of his style and his swagger and his connection to the various currents of culture make him seem like a man who is much younger than he is,” Cobb said. “But the genius with Obama is that he is fluent in it, so it doesn’t come off as a deliberate kind of doling out of references or points. It winds up to being to his benefit politically.”

I believe this short YouTube video illustrates my point exactly when it comes to today’s bad standards of journalism:

Sean Delonas’ Racist New York Post Cartoon links Barack Obama to Dead Chimp

All voices is an open and highly relevant social media site “unedited by humans”, where anyone can report and add their voice from anywhere.

Arabism - Racism virus spreading in... Venezuela under Dictator Chavez

Natalia from Acampo, CA — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 20:20:56 EST

Arabism - Racism virus spreading in... Venezuela

So... is Hugo Chavez "arab" enough now?

---

From a 2000-2001 Report of Antisemitism And Racism, Responses to the intifada in the media, in wall graffiti and by Arab organizations in Venezuela such as FEARAB (Arab Federation for Latin America) were directed at de-legitimizing the State of Israel, which was accused of causing the Palestinian tragedy.
The radical language used against Israel was not infrequently antisemitic, for example, the comparison of Israeli soldiers with Nazis *.

In January 2009, Venezuela expelled Israeli ambassador over Gaza, due to influence by Chavez's government's Justice Minister Tarek El Aissami, who is of Arab descent * and a sizable population of Arab descent, hundreds of people who marched against Israel * (at Israel's anti terror operation of cast lead * *, Descendants of Arabs thriving in S. America, Venezuela has a flourishing Arab community of about 1.5 million, business and commerce. Shop names like Flower of Palestine are a common *).

In Jan. 1, 2009, Antisemitic graffiti was painted on the corner of Cristobal Colon Sinai Jewish School in Caracas *.

There was worldwide condemnation pouring down on Venezuela After Synagogue Attack in Caracas, with written racist messages like: "Jews, get out," in the worst ever attack on the Venezualan Jewish community *, Death threats against rabbis and the menacing of the Jewish community has apparently led to vandalism of a synagogue in Caracas. Marauders entered the temple and profaned the Torah and Ark, strewing them on the floor and fired shots in the air *, it has been said that 'Palestinian' and Arab supporters in Venezuela were responsible * and Chavez's (described by many as a dictator * * ** * * * * *, who is a new "hero" in the Arab world *) close ties with the radical Islamic Republic of Iran's leader Ahmadinejad (that has called for genocide, to 'wipe out Israel' *** ) * *.

Hugo Chavez - extreme Arabism, he also forged alliances with dictators of rogue Arab states such as Libya' s Qaddafi, Iraq's Saddam Hussein, Exhorting his countrymen to return to their "Arab roots" *, he has illegally given more than 270 Venezuelan passports to Arab extremists *, Waleed al-Tabtabai A Kuwaiti Islamist MP called for moving Arab League headquarters from Cairo to Caracas after he expelled the Israel's ambassador, Tabtabai said that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez "has proved that he was more Arab than some Arabs"
*.

Courage vs Arab Muslim racist hijacking of Durban

Natalia from Acampo, CA — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 04:27:41 EST

Courage vs Arab Muslim racist (anti Jewish apartheid) hijacking of Durban

European states consider boycotting Durban 2 summit - Haaretz ...Mar 1, 2009 ... following United States' footsteps...
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1067540.html

Canada: Durban II Promotes Racism
http://www.captainsquartersblog.com/mt/archives/016733.php

Denmark threatens boycott of Durban II ... Other European countries have warned against crossing EU "red lines."...
http://www.cjnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=15657&Itemid=86

Danish foreign minister threatens Western boycott of Durban II ...Oct 28, 2008 ... Why the UN's Durban Review Conference Must Be Boycotted ... European MPs earning £1 million profits in a term, report finds ...
http://europenews.dk/en/node/15473

Learning the lessons from the Arab racist hijacking of the UN
link...

At least one case of "Moderate" Arab Muslims' bigotry - defeated [Arabism's racism]

Natalia from Acampo, CA — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 04:53:39 EST

At least one case of "Moderate" Arab Muslims' bigotry - defeated [Arabism's racism]

Bret Stephens on http://www.foxnews.com/journal/"hits & misses", The Fining of UAE over denial of visa to Israeli tennis player is a "defeat for bigotry"

WTA fines Dubai Open organisers after Israeli Shahar Peer denied visa - Feb 20, 2009 The Women's Tennis Association has fined the Dubai Open organisers $US300,000 ($A465,000) after the United Arab Emirates refused to grant a visa to Israeli ...

http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,25086276-23209,00.html

Under-fire UAE likely to give Israel's Andy Ram a visa
Israeli doubles specialist Andy Ram is likely to be granted a visa by the United Arab Emirates to play in the Dubai Championships next week, which could prevent a major crisis for tennis...
"To discriminate as the UAE did against one player in this way smacks of bigotry and racism," the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organisations said in a statement. "This must be declared unacceptable by the WTA and all international sporting associations. As we learned in the past, failure to condemn such actions and take corrective measures, proves destructive to international sporting competition."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/tennis/atptour/4692024/Under-fire-UAE-likely-to-give-Israels-Andy-Ram-a-visa.html

Sponsors pull out of Dubai Open after UAE deny visa to Israeli
RACISM ROW: The Wall Street Journal Europe and the Tennis Channel have revoked their sponsorship of the WTA Dubai Open because the UAE denied a visa to Israeli player Shahar Peer.

http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21598,25072951-5005401,00.html

Tennis: Racism Rears Its Ugly Head Shahar Peer is an Israeli tennis player. The United Arab Emirates barred her from participating in the Barclays Dubai tournament

http://ballhype.com/story/tennis_racism_rears_its_ugly_head/

United Arab Emirates (UAE), which has no diplomatic links with Israel, denied her an entry visa into the country. "To discriminate as the UAE did against one player in this way smacks of bigotry and racism,"

http://www.javno.com/en-sports/jewish-leaders-call-on-wta-to-sanction-dubai-event_235390

The New York Post Denial Syndrome

Keite Young — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 21:38:41 EST

Throughout the blogs I have seen a disturbing trend regarding the racially charged, tasteless and offensive political cartoon: DENIAL. So let me try and put things in perspective...

The Racist New York Post

Lily — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 20:39:46 EST

Please join me in taking action—attached is my letter to the Editor-in-Chief of the New York Post

D- Col Allen (Editor-in-Chief),

I would start this letter with the word “Dear”, as most common letters begin if I weren’t so disgusted by the despicable half witted excuse of an explanation your paper has “attempted” to make for the most recent cartoon posted on Page 12 of Wednesday’s edition. Specially when Page 11 had a photograph of President Obama signing the Economic Recovery Bill into law, and after traveling extensively to promote its expediency. Also ironic that President Obama often is compared to our dearly departed J.F. Kennedy who many suspect was not a victim of a single shooter but sadly blame/suspect one of our law enforcement agencies. You see we can all push the envelope and stretch our reasoning enough to link two “unrelated” stories: isn’t that what you’re claiming? To say I am nauseated is to simply downplay how many of us feel, distraught! I cannot believe that your paper intends to pass this off as a linking of two separate stories: How Naive do you really think we are?!?!? Seriously?!? This is offensive not only to African-Americans, but to many of us of the human race who are fighting to bring this long overdue gap between people to an end... when we are hoping that we cannot only rise above the tragic pieces of our history by uniting in the progressions we’ve made to overcome and continue to strive to overcome. When we celebrate/experience some progress, something like this only makes us realize how far we have yet to overcome. We grieve these events for the damage they do and the setback they cause and are reminded that even with how far we’ve come, some keep re-infecting the wound we so long to heal. I am sure the controversy makes your paper top the notoriety list and sells papers, however, by stirring up these kinds of controversies you continue to drive a deeper wedge between citizens of the USA (regardless of differences be they physical, philosophical, spiritual etc.) at a time when we cannot afford to be divided. Can’t you see the immense responsibility you as part of the media hold and how damaging misusing the spotlight you hold really is?!? I dare call your actions anti-patriotic, as I would anything that hurts the spirit of our country. And would replace the word “dear” with DISPICABLE, if it weren’t for the hope that you will come to your senses and not only apologize for this cartoon, but actively take measures to ensure this never happens again. I am not asking for censorship, as I do truly believe in freedom of speech and take pride that our constitution grants and protects that privilege; but as all privileges, this right must not be taken for granted and must be backed by good will, NOT greed, NOT a desire to make headlines and specially NOT to cause damage. Journalism is a calling, one that must be honest, factual and progressive. To call the posting of page 12 Regressive is to sugar coat and ignore the Elephant in the room. God bless our President and the United States of America; Let us all focus on the word UNITED.Sincerely,

Lily Estrada

Letter to the Editor: letters@nypost.com
Page Six: rjohnson@nypost.com
Voice your outrage: www. nypost. com

If you have a subscription and want to cancel it, please call 1-800-940-7678

Councilwoman's Sister Alleges Discrimination

James from Rahway, NJ — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 19:59:34 EST

ELIZABETH -- The city council president's sister has filed a lawsuit in federal court charging officials in the administration of Mayor J. Christian Bollwage with racial discrimination.

Linda J. Perkins filed charges in 2005 complaining that Community Development Program Director Susan Ucci treated her unfairly because she is black and other municipal officials in the Bollwage administration failed to take any action.

Linda Perkins is a sister of Councilwoman Patricia Perkins-Auguste, a Bollwage ally who was rejected by the Union County Democratic Committee in a special August 19 election to replace former Assemblyman Neil Cohen.

According to the complaint, Linda Perkins claims that the Bollwage administration violated her constitutional rights, the federal Civil Rights Act, the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination and the state's Civil Service Act.

The suit says Linda Perkins was hired as a program monitor by the city on July 23, 2001, but assigned to a lower paying job title as senior planning aide.

When her job title was changed to program monitor in 2004, Linda Perkins claims that her salary remained at the lower pay grade. Linda Perkins also claims that throughout her tenure in city government, Ucci has degraded and ridiculed her and other black employees.

"Ucci would yell at (Perkins) and speak to her in a demeaning tone," according to the complaint. "Ucci did not speak in this manner to the non-black employees."

The complaint alleges that Ucci rearranged the office to inconvenience Perkins and that when she got no response from approaching Ucci's supervisor, Planning and Community Development Director Oscar Ocasio. Perkins said Ucci had acted in a discriminatory manner against other city workers, including Jumilah Abdul-Baatin and Viola Cade, who have asked supervisors for assistance.

"The city and Ocasio have done nothing to address this pattern of racial discrimination," said Perkins, who claims that she was unable to locate a municipal official responsible for handling racial discrimination or affirmative action.

In an amended complaint, Perkins says she was forced out of work and spent a year on disability while prescribed anti-depressant medication until officials compelled her to return under a promise that she would be protected against Ucci's harassment.

That complaint says Ocasio and Ucci have since engaged in retaliatory actions against Perkins, denied her reinstatement because her position had been assigned to another employee and instead place her in a part-time post as juvenile curfew officer.

Perkins is demanding a pay raise and promotion, as well as compensatory damages for her claim of lost wages plus an undisclosed amount in punitive damages under six counts.

Cranford attorney Robert F. Renaud, who has been hired by Elizabeth officials to represent Ucci, filed papers with the court denying all allegations against the supervisor. Bollwage declined to comment on the case through an administration spokesperson.

Israel VS Genocide (updated Feb. 2009)

Natalia from Acampo, CA — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 11:39:38 EST

Israel VS Genocide

Israel VS Islamo Arab campaign of Genocide.

Attempted Genocide From the Start [1] Israel has always faced (radical) Arab genocide, To fully understand current conflicts in the Middle East, history must be recalled. [2] It exist a common phrase: 'If the Jews would just lay down their weapons there would be no more Israel' [3].

Table of Contents

1 1920s
2 1967
3 Current
4 Radical Islam (as a whole)
5 Mainstream [Palestinian & other] Arabs
- 5.1 Genocidal Agenda under 'Pro Palestinian' propaganda

1920s

The first Arab sponsored terrorist attacks upon Jews occurred in 1920 [4] a highlighted tragedy is The Hebron Massacre of 1929 where thousands of Arabs descended from Har Hebron, shouting "Kill the Jews!" in Arabic [5] [6].

This was not the first mass racist attack by Arabs against unarmed civilian Jews in British Mandate ‘Palestine,’ nor would it be the last attempted extermination. [7].

It was the Mufti who sought to annihilate the tiny State of Israel [8], The Palestinian Mufti's Deal with Hitler: 'Kill All the Jews in the Middle East' [9].

1967

Though Haim Weizmann declared he would accept a Jewish state even with the size of a tablecloth — still, even that was rejected by the Arabs who swore to "throw the Jews into the sea" and attacked in force to fulfill that oath. [10].

What the Fight in Israel Is All About... Spring of 1967 the Arab countries, led by Gamal Abdul Nasser of Egypt, prepared to attack Israel and, in their own words, “throw the Jews into the sea. [11] [12], the Arab leaders' slogan : We’ll Throw Them into the Sea" [13]

CurrentRadical Islam (as a whole)

New Radical Islamic Thinking Justifying The Genocide of Infidels [14], Specifically Radical Islam's Threat of Genocide against the Jews is more and more revealed [15][16] [17].

The Palestinians Encourage Genocide [18] and on Palestinian TV openly call: Kill All The Jews [19], Palestinian Muslim cleric urges all Arabs to kill Jews, Christians [20], (Even calling to Kill all Americans [21]), Islamic sermons broadcast on Palestinian Authority have also been openly genocidal [22] An ideology of genocidal radical Islamism - Jihad-Islamism.[23]

At the second Palestinian violent Intifada, they came up with a new (tool in) Genocide: Suicide Bombing, designed to massacre the most masses of civilians possible [24] [25].

An emphasis in radicals' work is indoctrinating Palestinian Children to Genocidal Hate, Imams are extremely influential in successfully emphasizing the goals of jihad and martyrdom [26] Especially the Islamic party: Hamas promotes Islamic supremacy over the world, "The Hamas Ideology of Hatred and Genocide: Islamic supremacy over the world, destroying Israel and Jews [27], vows to 'drink' Jewish blood, group would drink the blood of Jews [28], Hamas Mickey-Mouse-like character to incite for genocide [29], Genocide of Jews remains Hamas goal [30] and declare: "The Final Goal of the Resistance is to Wipe This Entity Off the Face of the Earth" "We are making the preparations for a confrontation. This is not because we need to be prepared for an Israeli act of aggression - after all, aggression is intrinsic to this entity - but because the final goal of the resistance is to wipe this entity off the face of the Earth. This goal necessitates the development of the capabilities of the resistance, until this entity is wiped out." [31]

Hamas, the Muslim-Brotherhood-linked terror group dedicated to the annihilation of Israel through jihad [32], The people who comprise Hamas are dedicated to the annihilation of Israel and the slaughter of every Jew who lives there [33] in its Charter 1988 it states: 'Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it' ... Hamas wants the ‘islamisation’ of all the Middle East (as a first phase) [34].

Al Qaeda

In Al-Qaeda's Intellectual Legacy - Islamic Thinking justifying the genocide of infidels, According to al- Ali, all citizens of Israel are to be considered combatants. [35].

Hezbollah

In her book 'Lebanon's Hezbollah' (2003, Page 49) Ann Byers writes: 'In the 1990s, Hezbollah was training members of the terrorist groups Al Qaeda... (it supported the PLO as) in its early days the PLO was dedicated to the annihilation of Israel'. [36].

The Hezbollah Founding Statement contains a section titled “The Necessity for the Destruction of Israel,” which reads as follows: “We see in Israel the vanguard of the United States in our Islamic world. It is the hated enemy that must be fought until the hated ones get what they deserve . . . Therefore our struggle will end only when this entity is obliterated. [37]

Hezbollah calling on Muslims to kill all Jewish Israelis with firearms, knives and poison [38]

The widening arena of Hezbollah's attacks stemmed from Nasrallah's perception that Jews anywhere are legitimate targets. In fact, Hasan Nasarallah has said: If they (Jews) all gather in Israel, it will save us the trouble of going after them worldwide. (Daily Star, Oct. 23, 2002) [39].

More from Hassan Nasrallah, Leader of Hezbollah on Al Manar: "Let the entire world hear me. Our hostility to the Great Satan, America, is absolute. Regardless of how the world has changed after September 11, death to America will remain our reverberating and powerful slogan: Death to America." (House Record: 'war is ugly but tyranny is uglier'). [40], "Martyrdom operations -- suicide bombings -- should be exported outside Palestine. I encourage Palestinians to take suicide bombings worldwide. Don't be shy about it." [41]

Hezbollah’s renewal of Jihad Genocide on Global “Jewish Targets” (June, 2008) [42].

The Muslim Brotherhood

The 'Muslim Brotherhood's Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradhawi: 'There is No Dialogue between Us and the Jews Except by the Sword and the Rifle' [43]

Ahmadinejad

Islamic Republic of Iran's President Mahmud Ahmadinejad's call for Israel to be "wiped off the map" has triggered a sharp international response and widespread condemnation [44] [45] (It was not mistranslated [46]). has been described as wanting to carry out another genocide aimed at destroying the State of Israel [47], He 'faced genocide case', in 14 Dec 2006 was expected to be the target of a lawsuit which accuses him of inciting genocide against Israel. [48] [49].

In 2007, Ahmadinejad has threatened (again) the State of Israel with annihilation, Iran: 'Israel, US will soon die' [50]

Mainstream [Palestinian & other] Arabs

Even many of 'moderate Arabs' have been accused of this [51], in a poll of February 16, 2007 '75% of Palestinians do not think that Israel has the right to exist' [52].

Jerusalem Post's C. Glick: No Tolerance for Genocide , Genocide: The Spirit of Palestine... in Palestinian society today. It is not just Hamas or Tanzim or Islamic Jihad that we must fight, but Palestinian society itself must be transformed for there to be peaceful coexistence. Poll after poll shows that a solid majority of Palestinians from all socio-economic levels supports suicide bombers and other forms of terrorism against Israel. In fact the polls show that the higher the socio-economic level of the respondents, the stronger their support for terrorism. Virulent, Nazi-style Jew hatred and dehumanization has become for the Palestinians, as for the Germans before them, the central unifying theme of society. The best-seller lists in the PA for years have included such works as Mein Kampf and the Protocols of the Elders of Zion. [53] [54] [55] [56].

Genocidal Agenda under 'Pro Palestinian' propaganda

On the so called 'Palestinian documentaries'. T. Menaker: 'College Film Festival: Kill the Jews', It is understandable that the mere existence of Israel in such close proximity is unbearable. What is strikingly serious in all these films is that if one were to count the most often used words, these words would be "humiliation" and "Kill the Jews!" Even in the most peaceful and idealistic documentary... a young boy asked what he wants to do when he grows up is prompted by his father: "Kill the Jews!" When asked to draw a picture of his future he draws himself killing Israelis. [57]

The International Solidarity Movement - a 'Palestinian' propaganda machine, organized many activities, including on US campus, both, the ISM and PSM support in thinly veiled language suicide bombings... in their gatherings the audience chanted "Kill the Jews" - "Ittbach al yahood" in Arabic [58].

The International Solidarity Movement (ISM), its American, student affiliate the Palestinian Solidarity Movement, and other radical left-wing groups label every inch of Israeli territory as “occupied Palestine,” advocate destroying the Jewish State by “any means necessary,” and openly condone terrorism and Muslim suicide bombers as a means for accomplishing this goal. These groups are working to eliminate a population of six million Jews. [59].

At Israel's operation against Hamas terrorists in 'cast lead' [60] December 2008-January 2009, anti Israel Arab Muslim protesters called for Jews to 'Go Back to the Oven', to 'kill all the Jews', or: “Hamas, Hamas, Jews to the gas” [61], Other demonstrators held signs that said "Nuke Israel," and a number made comparisons to the Holocaust [62] [63] [64] [65] [66] [67].

Phyllis Chesler: Today, we have grown used to seeing Palestinian and Hamas supporters goose-step, Nazi-style, shoot out their arms as they deliver the Hitlerian "Sieg Heil" salute. They also chant and scream: "Jews to the ovens," "Hitler did not kill enough of you," "Jews to the gas chambers." [68].

Why i love Mitch McConnell

J. Lowe — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 02:44:31 EST

I love Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell because of our common thread: we both fell in love with someone from outside our culture.

Here in rural and racist Kentucky, the Klan is relevant to a small percentage and has the weight of sympathy and mild agreement to a larger percentage of our population. In some counties in Kentucky, there are less than 10 black people -- not 10% but 10 total -- in an entire county.

It is with a reassuring sigh that Mitch McConnell an elected official to not have the heart of the racist. When he fell in love with his wife, he was forced to ask his inner self the ultimate racist question: is it wrong to mix the races? He has also an arranged marriage with her culture, and to understand deeply the value of other cultures & religions as well.

So, although I disagree with Senator McConnell on many issues (including the Economic Recovery Bill), I hold him in high regard and respect, and kinda like him a little. Although I liked him more on election night when he almost lost to an unknown Democrat.

INSPIRED time to UNITE not FIGHT its not ME its WE, be free

A.D.D. Poet — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 19:38:13 EST

PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release

Contact: Ron Sorenson/Kathy Kafka PHONE 954 632-8495

E-MAIL: sorensonbuilders@mac.com and kathy1000kai@yahoo.com

SOUTH FLORIDA’S “A.D.D. POET” HEADS TO INAUGURATION WITH AN OBAMA TRIBUTE

Former Home Builder Turned Poet Will Be At The Inauguration With A Truck-load of His Poetry Honoring Barack Obama

Ron Sorenson has been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder (A.D.D.)—he says his condition is at the core of his talent

Miami- The week of January 20th millions will arrive in Washington DC to witness Barack Obama become the 44th President of the United States. In the crowd will be South Florida poet, Ron Sorenson. The former homebuilder has been diagnosed with A.D.D (Attention Deficit Disorder). Recently he began a diet and exercise program to manage his ADD. The side effect of this non-prescription treatment of ADD has been a creative explosion. Ron now creates poetry that has received recognition and applause from academic institutions such as Rutgers University, Stanford University, Jonn Fee Okford University, San Francisco Art Institute Suzanne Olemsted Addmissions,The Bereavement Society and his celebrity fans include Jonny Depp, Red Hot Chlie Peppers Jewel, Elle, Coda Ray, Evanescence, Soul Bomb, Siva Noir, Oliver Stone, Denzel Washington, Ian Lewis Inner Circle Band, John Sally NBA, Charles Johnson Baseball Great, Eddie Johnes Basketball Great, Larry Hendricks Hendricks Racing, Jeb Corbis Daredevil, Evil Knevil, Anjelo Dunde, Muhamad Ali, Mark Clayton, John Tesh Yoko, House of Zaccardi Artist, many more and names of some that would not or frienship open and not private anymore.

This past year Ron has become caught up in the Obama campaign and to honor his presidency, Ron created a poem titled Persistence True Dream. Ron teamed with Coral Springs artist, Tony Hall—in an almost impossible way they met and the two have created a framed limited edition and a poster to mark the historic event.

Ronald Sorenson was born a twin on September 26, 1957 on an Army base in Columbia, South Carolina. His twin brother Donald passed away at three months old. Ron found out when he came across a photo of two babies in a crib. His beloved grandmother told him when he was ten. Ron always believed his brother was his guardian angel, and has had a difficult job watching over him. With his high energy level, risk taking, and other traits he possessed, Ron felt different from everyone else. He describes the inside of his brain as Jimmy Hendrix playing the Star Spangled Banner at Woodstock in his head 24/7. On June 4, 2005, Ron met Kathy Kafka—both are divorced with children. On there first date during the evening conversation, Kathy described Ron as gifted and having A.D.D. Ron had no idea what Attention Deficit Disorder was. The journey began, he had to find out what it was, during the week he was tested and diagnosed with A.D.D. Finally he had a description of why he felt different. Kathy saw a person in Ron that he never noticed. He was intelligent, creative, enthusiastic, and sensitive. Now aware of his gift of A.D.D., and the love and understanding from Kathy, his life is only getting better. Ron has been a building contractor, building beautiful homes for over 25 years. Because of his boredom and the poor economy, Ron has grown significantly tired of the construction business. Now aware of his gift, and Kathy’s love and understanding, life is only getting better. With Kathy’s knowledge of health and natural herbs, she has transformed Ron’s poor health habits. Ron is now eating healthier, consuming herbal blends and teas, resulting in positive energy. This has brought out his inventiveness, and creativity, and he is now writing beautiful philosophical poems, which he never thought he could do. Ron began writing poetry for Kathy. She noticed his talent and with the positive reinforcement he began spreading his poetry to others. Ron is now referred to as the “A.D.D. Poet.” Poetry is a way to go deep inside and express him self. Life is only getting better for Ron who has been living in Fort Lauderdale, Florida most of his life. He is unleashing the artist that resides in his heart and brain for all to enjoy.

Tony Hall was born on December 26, 1950 in Kingston Jamaica. His family moved to Mt. Vernon, NY in 1966. Attending Parsons School of Design, he majored in Graphic Design. After being drafted in the Army in 1971 and his interest in art, Tony started to paint in the evenings as a hobby. He would paint for his friends. After the release from the Army in 1978, a person noticing his talent, offered to sell his works. He gave this man several of his painting, which he never saw again. Discouraged by what happened, Tony stopped painting for three years. Then in 1981, a man commissioned a painting, but after the work was completed, the man was killed. Discouraged again, Tony stopped painting for several years. He began another hobby, base guitar, starting his own group called Mystique. Then in 2000, a co-worker requested a pencil drawing of his two children that both passed away after their birth one year apart. He asked Tony to draw the one child without the deformities he was born with. The look on his co-workers face when he gave him the drawing of his two children, put both of them in tears. Inspired to do art again, Tony created many pieces in just the last year and a half, but has not been able to sell any of his work. Tony and his wife are in jeopardy of losing there home because of the poor economy. Tony works for a printer who reduced his hours and his wife is in real estate sales. Tony and his family live in Coral Spring, Florida. Ron says along with Tony nothing can go wrong and every wrong turn ends up being the right way, He believes if you can dream it you can do it and he is living proof. Anything is possible no matter the economy your situation its what you belive and choose for your journey.

THE AUTO INDUSTRY, A FEW OF MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCES (INDUSTRIAL GREED):

Alex Karoub — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 21:14:47 EST

Contact: Alex.Karoub@gmail.com

This post is a brief overview of the Automotive Industry which describes some of the fundamental problems that are rarely spoken of. In addition, you will learn of a few of my personal experiences growing up, an environment where I was surrounded by the industry; you will learn of a few perspectives that are shocking and that even only a few within the industry know of. At the end of the post, you will better understand what happened to American Manufacturing and where it stands.

The Auto Industry is at the heart of all of American Manufacturing. It is an industry that laid the groundwork for many other types of industries to follow, deemed at one point in history to be the highest of successes. But now, it sheds light on what can become warning signs for other businesses that mistakenly try to imitate it.

This months hot topic is whether to bailout/rescue the regressing American Auto Industry. The original owners and their successors abandoned that industry long ago. The auto industry was ravaged and plundered by the wealthiest Americans a half century ago and has been in decline ever since. Shortsighted greed from one generation to the next has been the culprit. Since autos were first mass-produced and America monopolized the world, it was only natural that the American percentage/share of the market would eventually be reduced. However, total growth was enormous and total size of the market continues to grow even through today. Therefore, American growth of exports should have continued to grow, but does not significantly due to pillage and poorly planted roots. In simpler terms, we originally owned the entire pie. The pie was split up. Since the entire pie has grown dramatically, our piece should have grown too. However, the Big 4, 3, 2, … have been loosing market dominance and lead since the end of World War Two. Here we are years later in crisis, and the real question remains whether or not to rescue the real victims of the auto industry, the workers. People were not retrained or re-educated; most were never afforded real education's to start. People are now in despair and hopelessness. From my vantage point now living in Colorado for the last two decades, I have seen the high tech industry follow the auto industry, but at a learned and accelerated rate. Other industries are also copying the auto industry and are laying similar foundations also headed for disaster. Going back to a brief history, the misguided roots show how the decay started and why it spread.

Although I did not grow-up during the inception of the Auto Industry, its roots surrounded me. I spoke with a few who were there in the earliest days, and spoke with many who were of the following generation. I absorbed its history by studying it while attending school in Motown (Motor Town), by natural osmosis, and in my earliest career dealing with the car makers.

Growing up as a kid I lived less than a mile from Henry Ford's first moving assembly line factory, with GM’s World Headquarters’ just three miles away, and with Chryslers World Headquarters at the end of our street. The first Ford plant (in Highland Park, a city now surrounded by Detroit) and the first of GM's plants were built on the importation of the next generation of former black slaves and white share crop workers from the south (whites similar to former slaves whose white necks were red from working in the sunny fields, hence the mean spirited term 'Redneck'). The joke that Henry Ford must have laughed at and that went around town was "each worker would get paid enough to buy a Ford" (Of course using infamous 'Ford Credit' which was a primary direct withdrawal from their pay checks.) Henry manipulated a built-in guaranteed customer base and tapped double profits, being profits on the cars and the profitable bonded interest. Those were scams that he copied from sharecropping. The remains of their wages were so low that they had to live in shacks; but after all Henry felt, they came from shacks near the fields in the south. So much bigotry and repeated methods from sharecrop economic slavery. Instead of updating and rebuilding the original plants and without regard for the people who were the workers, the emerging auto giants left to go further to the suburbs.

So, as they moved and grew they imported shipload after shipload of immigrant economic slaves from Poland (to Hamtramck, MI) and more economic slaves from the Middle East (to Dearborn, MI). There were other minorities imported as well, also imported for economic servitude to supporting industries such as mining, iron works, steel fabrication, glass works, textile, …. Astonishing how easily the game of 'divide and conquer' worked upon the variety of minorities; a game of keeping the workers pitted against each other using race and ethnicity; all to hold back the power of the people from truly uniting. WW2 caused the Automakers not only to retool but also to reevaluate their future directions.

Soon, after the victory of WW2, came the Auto Giants grand visions for economically conquering the world via expansion outside the U.S. They quietly boasted that that would leave mainly world headquarters executives, designers, and engineers in the U.S. with the prestigious white-collar jobs. It was felt then (and these are not my bigoted opinions, not from me, yikes) that after all even 'the weaker sex' could do factory labor jobs as seen during WW2 (i.e. Rosie the Riveter). So why not have the 'stupid foreign workers' do the labor outside the U.S. What also gave way to the idea that manufacturing could succeed outside the U.S. was Mexico; since Mexican workers were also imported, but only temporarily during WW2. (By the way, the temporary Mexican workers were never fully paid back as promised during WW2.) A tremendous wave of pride about white-collar jobs became very popular in Detroit and in other automotive communities during the 50's. That vision sat poised on the back burner, but a pre-planted seed was already in place, which was Canada (Windsor) just across the Detroit River.

Canada was a much-desired orchestrated precedence for the automakers; it set the stage for grace given by the government as an easily set up protocol for off-shoring jobs. Soon after, the automakers made a migration south to other states, then further south to Mexico, and finally overseas and on to economic slavery in China.

Today we see the results of the destructive path the industry has taken. Layoffs, instead of being temporary situations reserved for pauses during new model changeovers, eventually became the mark of permanent labor plant closures. Obvious abandonment of people soon became the name of the automakers game. Along the swathed trail are - Highland Park, Detroit, Pontiac, Flint, Marquette, Gary Indiana, Pittsburgh, Toledo, Cleveland, …, which became known in the early 80’s as 'The Rust Bowl’. Sort of a rape, pillage, and burn mentality, which continues to today.

Amazing how well the reasoning of "that's the way it's always been" persists and grows from one generation to the next. Excuse after excuse gave temporary reasoning to incremental geographic movements for global conquer. Temporary excuses ranged from the need to originally amass large workforces, to the hindrance of union pressures, to American workers are lazy, to 'over' government regulation, to …, all straw obstacles as to why the auto industry needed to move as it did.

No! Greed is not good. We see how those at the top of the industry have each come in, grabbed with their greed, and left. Now today, we see how greed has caused "what once was, no longer is". So in short, now we see the results of greed, poorly planted roots, and disregard, taking its toll on America. Equally, is the toll on the myriad of unrelated businesses, old and new, that have adopted the auto industries infectious habits of having little to no regard for individual people that make up the American workforce. People.

While being raised in the center of Detroit, I experienced many situations involving the Auto Industry; the following although early was not my earliest, and is an actual example.

Around 1963, when I was 11 years old, I remember George Romney visiting our house to exchange political favors. Our 23-room house was a rundown relic of a past era, but it cleaned up well as a phony front for wealth and pretentious power. I remember we kids had to pretend that we were Christian Protestants for the visiting Governor (former Chairman of AMC) who was doing his Christian Mormon tradition of visiting the homes of his new legislators. How ostentatious they both were with fraudulent humility of how they rose from their humble beginnings. But more to the point, I remember Romney sitting at our dinning room table and saying "The Big Four Automakers don't have to worry about giving the Unions what they want, as long as the benefits will not be due for decades. By that time the labor plants will be outside the U.S." That shocked my brother Jimmy and I, as we listened playing in the sunroom just off the dinning room. Later we were once again physically punished (beaten-up), this time for listening to adult talk. Jimmy a year older than I, and intellectually gifted, soon became a Page at the State Capital. The accounts he returned with were shocking as well. Growing up as we did would make your head spin and open your eyes to disgust. We continued living in those surroundings until we grew out of our teens. Then we moved on to make our own adult lives, creating better environments much different from what we were born and raised in.

Recalling back to my teens, I realized back then the Detroit riots were not only about race, but was also about economic oppression. It was the minorities who were oppressed the worst, most especially African-Americans. Bad however you measure it is bad. (For a better understanding of the decline of Detroit and to better understand the riots, take a look at my other post: “DETROIT RIOTS OF 1967, A RECOLLECTION OF THE TRUTH.” You will also better understand how very close we came to seeing a nationwide repeat of the riots in the coming Spring of 2009.)

Unions, workers, man-hours, laborers, …, are not people, they are burdens to be minimized and eliminated. While watching Lee Iacocca being interviewed on Charley Rose last year, I noticed Iacocca admit that he new all the way back during negotiations with the unions, in the early 80’s, that Chrysler would never have to pay off in full on long term commitments to the unions. As Iacocca danced around the issue he said "now the unions will have to face reality". And, as Rose went on to discuss it more, Iacocca was getting more uncomfortable, and eventually managed to change the subject away from discussing past union negotiations. Iacocca was a bit slicker than George Romney was, since Iacocca was on national TV. It made me ashamed that Chrysler World Headquarters was at the end of our street when I was a kid. And, that as a young adult I had so proudly in my early career returned while working for a couple of electronics companies to Chrysler's World Headquarters R&D operations. I thought it an honor to have paid Iacocca's in-house barbershop to cut my hair, even his same barber. Some honor.

Following Chrysler, I moved up to deal with GM, and was puzzled. I listened to upper executives at GM complain that they constantly had to bribe Mexican government officials and border guards for GM plants. I guess they also assumed I already new and accepted that the plants in the late 70's had already begun their exodus to Mexico and other countries. I have always looked at bribery as disgusting and wrong, it was not for me or those who I dealt with, that's among the many good things that a mentor named Jack Bazzy taught me as a young kid. By becoming acquainted with other mentors as an adult, I learned to seek out highly reputable employers and quality knowledgeable friends. I learned how to educate myself, and moved up very high in the scientific and technical industries, all of which I enjoyed.

Although I grew up in Highland Park / Detroit, that was not anywhere near my top focus in choosing Obama. But, it is a simple history for me to recall, amazing how many more details I can give, but the main points have been brought forward. In addition, from being a mutt of sorts myself, to being a self made man, be that what it may, I have no illusions of being great. What I do mean here is that I quickly recognize many of Obama's unique insights, although mine are different but a bit similar in nature. Like many Obama supporters, I have personal experiences on most issues Obama has raised. So, above is just one of many examples that I can personally give.

To better understand manufacturing in America, you can read my other blog:
WHAT SCREWED UP MANUFACTURING FOR AMERICA

Blog members can reply here, anyone is welcome to email me at: Alex.Karoub@gmail.com

Op ' cast Lead' Israel/Gaza: Triple Islamic Crime: 1) Firing upon Israeli civilians, 2) using its own populations' women and children to make sure they die, so they can bash Israel even more, 3) Calling for genocide on Israelis or on all Jews.

Natalia from Acampo, CA — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 21:41:37 EST

December, 2008 - January 2009

Triple Islamic Crime: 1) Firing upon Israeli civilians, 2) using its own populations' women and children to make sure they die, so they can bash Israel even more, 3) Calling for genocide on Israelis or on all Jews.

Operation 'Cast Lead' - Israel decided it had (1) - enough of: Years of Islamic 'Palestinian' Hamas' barrage of rocket attacks aimed intentionally on Israeli civilians, preferably children (at the times they go to schools and kindergartens), around a Millions Israelis are under this threatening range.
(2) - The Islamic terror Hamas fights the Israeli humane anti-terror defensive forces via most inhumane tactics - using its own civilians, women and children as human shields in order to cause Arab kids' deaths and then parade with them on global TV cameras.

(3) - An expolsion of Islamofascism's hatred and call for genocide on (all) Jews in wordlwide demonstrations under the flag of "free Palestine".

On Dec. 27, Israel began defensive operations to dismantle Iran-backed Hamas’s terrorist infrastructure in Gaza and stop the terrorist group from its 8-years-long campaign of attacking Israeli civilians with 10,000 rockets, missiles and mortars.

Despite Hamas’s unrelenting rocket attacks, Israel continues to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza, warning the civilian population to stay clear of terrorist sites. Said Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, "Israel has made it clear that we are fighting against terrorism, not the Gazan residents, and the extremists are the ones who are taking advantage of the concern of the humanitarian organizations and the international community as a means of pressuring Israel."
http://www.theisraelproject.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=hsJPK0PIJpH&b=689705&ct=6479 919

Harris noted that Israel has always gone to great lengths in an attempt to avoid civilian casualties, but that, tragically, Hamas uses civilians "as human shields," making Israel's efforts still more challenging. (Dec 27, 2008)

http://news.prnewswire.com/DisplayReleaseContent.aspx?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/12-27-2008/00049 47081&EDATE=

Hamas Prepares 15,000 Soldiers, Civilian Human Shields For Full Confrontation With Israel (Dec 27, 2008)

http://www.mererhetoric.com/archives/11275253.html

Hamas took no heed of the plight of their own brethren, "and just as they have used human shields in their terror operations, they are now taking the whole ...

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1229868820574&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Israel's Challenge Family Security Matters, NJ - Dec 26, 2008 Why is criticism never leveled at Hamas or Hezbollah who regularly use children as human shields to protect their leaders and their weapons? ...

http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/publications/id.2115/pub_detail.asp

Israel retaliation in Gaza, Hamas hit hard Canada Free Press, Canada Any suspected hideouts of Hamas leadership must be taken out. Israel had opportunities in earlier decades to do this and refused because of the human shield

http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/7171

Hamas Explains Use of Civilians as Human Shields
By Itamar Marcus and Barbara Crook
"We desire death as you desire life."
The UN announcement that 51 civilians have died in the conflict in Gaza must be understood in the context of Hamas's declared ideology to use civilians as human shields for Hamas fighters. Indeed, Hamas continues to emphasize and promote the religious ideology that death for Allah is an ideal to be actively pursued.
The goal is to convince Palestinians, including women and children, not to fear death but even to face it at the front to protect Hamas fighters. Hamas's placement of its military installations and fighters among civilians reflects this ideology, and has led to these 51 deaths.
A Hamas representative in the PA legislative council this year expressed pride in the fact that women and children are used as human shields in fighting Israel. He described it as part of a "death industry" at which Palestinians excel, and explained that the Palestinians "desire death" with the same intensity that Israelis "desire life."
The following is the full text of the comments by Hamas representative Fathi Hamad: "For the Palestinian people death became an industry, at which women excel and so do all people on this land: the elderly excel, the Jihad fighters excel, and the children excel. Accordingly [Palestinians] created a human shield of women, children, the elderly and the Jihad fighters against the Zionist bombing machine, as if they were saying to the Zionist enemy: We desire death as you desire life."

http://newsblaze.com/story/20081229092838zzzz.nb/topstory.html

Injured Palestinian girl: Hamas is the cause of all wars
A haunting clip from an outfit that specializes in them: Portrait of a human shield, her four-year-old sister one of 60 civilians killed...

http://hotair.com/archives/2008/12/30/injured-palestinian-girl-hamas-is-the-cause-of-all-wars/

The suffering that Hamas causes (Dec 2008) ...
But it isn't only Israelis whose fundamental human rights Hamas is violating. It is those of the Palestinian population about whose welfare Hamas professes to care.
In direct contravention of international law, Hamas uses Palestinian civilians as human shields, utilizing homes, schools and community centers as launching pads, content in the knowledge that if innocent Palestinian civilians are caught in the cross-fire, it will be Israel that is criticized. This amounts to a sort of Daily Double of human rights violations: the use of innocent Palestinians as human shields for the infliction of violence upon innocent Israelis.

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2008/12/30/the_suffering_that_hama s_causes/

The Father of the Human Shield Dead
DigitalJournal.com - 2 Jan 2009
Nizar al-Rayyan invented the Human Shields method. IsraelPolitik reports that Hamas has released an official statement “declaring that Dr. Nizar al-Rayyan, ...

http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/264390

Ground push / Mission: Break Hamas Ha'aretz - Jan 3, 2009
Hamas may also use children as "human shields" for weapons caches inside mosques.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1052336.html

IDF launches Gaza ground operation
Ha'aretz - Jan 3, 2009
Those who use civilians, the elderly, women and children as "human shields" are responsible for any and all injuries to the civilian population.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1052341.html

They Asked For It! Hamas goads Israeli military to invade Gaza Strip
Gather.com - Jan 3, 2009
They're showing no regard for the high, civilian casualties due to the upcoming, street fighting. They're using their countrymen as human shields.

http://www.russiatoday.com/news/news/35544

NETANYAHU: This humanitarian crisis is the direct result of the Hamas tactic of firing at our civilians and hiding behind their civilians, and it’s something that we cannot tolerate. No nation would tolerate 6,000 rockets fired on its cities, and Israel finally decided to take action.

We have to make sure that we don’t just have a cease-fire, but that this criminal rocketing of our cities is not resumed a few months from now. Because that’s exactly what happened a few months ago. They were firing rockets at us, the Hamas. We had a cease-fire. They used the cease-fire to get further range — longer-range rockets, which they have now fired at Beersheba and Ashdod and into the southern suburbs of Tel Aviv. So obviously, we have to remove the threat, not just stop the firing. And that’s what Israel is engaged in right now.

http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?parm1=5&docID=news-000003002618

Crush Hamas and brave the backlash | The Australian - But as was pointed out - Israel attempts to target military and political sites. hamas attacks civilians. there is no such thing as disproportionate attacks …

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24853482-7583,00.html

Rocket alert sends New York’s Bloomberg running for cover in Sderot…
the onus of the civilian deaths was on Hamas for using them as human shields.
“They have been the main victimizers of the innocent Palestinian people by inviting these kinds of attacks,” he said.

http://haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1052557.html

IDF coordination chief: There is no humanitarian crisis

Hamas terrorists are using civilian infrastructure in the Gaza Strip - including hospitals, mosques and areas next to offices of international aid groups - to conduct terrorist activity and fire rockets at Israel, Col. Moshe Levi, commander of the IDF’s Gaza Coordination and Liaison Administration (CLA), said Thursday.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1230733138893

Hamas Exploitation of Civilians as Human Shields
Right Side News
This study examines how Hamas and the other terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip make extensive use of Palestinian civilians as human shields. ...

http://rightsidenews.com/200901063218/global-terrorism/hamas-exploitation-of-civilians-as-human-shie lds.html

'Hamas is guilty of war crime'
BBC News
... artillery attack near a UN school in the Gaza Strip. On Radio 4's The World Tonight he claimed that Hamas were guilty of using civilians as "human shields".

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7814762.stm

Yes, free Gaza — from terrorist tyranny
By REDA MANSOUR
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
Some of the Arab and Muslim demonstrators who recently came to our offices were holding signs that said “Free Gaza.” Many Israelis would raise that same sign, me included, but for different reasons. People tend to forget that as of August 2005, Israel has not been in Gaza, and that the Gazans have been under Hamas control since June 2007. Indeed, Gaza needs to be freed from many different extremist forces.
Gaza should be freed from Hamas, a terrorist organization that seized the strip by force. Since the takeover, Hamas has run Gaza’s economy into the ground and now nearly half of the work force is unemployed. Hamas has built a Taliban-style state in Gaza and introduced many of the Islamic Shari’a laws, institutionalizing the persecution of women and minorities.
Hamas has transformed Gaza from a free territory to a large bunker, a place where rockets are stored under families, schools and places of prayer. Unfortunately, Gazans not only live among this militarization, but are now a tool in Hamas’ aggression. The terrorist organization has developed a strategy of using innocent civilians as human shields. When Israel warns that the houses of Hamas operatives and commanders will be targeted, the terrorists bring in innocent citizens, often by force, in an effort to increase the likelihood of civilian casualties. Hamas’ leaders rely on the strict Israeli moral code, hoping to avoid being attacked or that a strike will allow them to score points in the media by sacrificing their own people, creating what looks like acts of Israeli military aggression.
Gaza should be freed from the intervention of Iran, a state that openly admits to financing Hamas. Iran is also helping Palestinian terror organizations with training, intelligence and equipment. Some of this “aid” is channeled through Hezbollah in Lebanon — yet another Iranian proxy organization. Hezbollah and Iran use the Gazans to maintain regional political relevance in their empty agenda against Israel.
Gaza should be freed from some of the Arab satellite channels like Al-Jazeera. These television stations engage in the direct incitement of the Arab and Muslim world. Everything is acceptable in their eyes to raise their ratings: including long shots of bodies and injuries. Some of these channels do not dismiss any editing trick and consider propaganda as a normal part of their news reporting.
As far as Israel is concerned, Gaza is free and it is the decision of its inhabitants what the area’s destiny will be. They can continue to buy into the self-defeating promises of terrorist organizations and extremist ideologies. Even worse, they can continue to let these organizations use them as human shields and demolish their hopes and futures.
Gazans can only truly be free by declaring Gaza a terror-free zone. The people of Gaza have many resources in their hands to achieve success. Gaza could use its beautiful Mediterranean coast to attract Israeli and Egyptian tourists. It can renew the flower and fruit exports to Europe that Israel left behind. The airport that was built there can be reopened. The seaport that is planned and even the natural gas fields in its waters could be built.
The people of this region need to make the decision that Gaza will become a model of peace and stability and hopefully, the beginning of the two-state solution: Israel and Palestine living side by side in peace.

http://www.ajc.com/opinion/content/opinion/stories/2009/01/07/mansoured_0107.html

Hamas uses people as shields
Updated: 01/06/2009 06:53:52 AM EST
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has heated up again. A cease-fire agreement has collapsed and Hamas, a Palestinian terrorist organization, immediately renewed its rocket attacks from Gaza into Israeli civilian areas.
Hamas does not attack military targets. They openly declare their intent to kill civilians, including women and children.
These rocket attacks have gone on for years and have steadily increased in intensity. The range of these weapons has increased as well, bringing more civilian areas in Israel under attack, with an increase in danger to civilians.
There is no warning for these attacks, no air-raid sirens, just the sudden explosion of a rocket missile in your neighborhood with the possibility of death and destruction.
During the several years that these rocket attacks have continued, never has anyone raised a voice condemning these attacks, which are knowingly directed against civilians.
Hamas deliberately sets its rocket launchers and mortars in densely populated areas using their own people as human shields against retaliation.
Now that Israel is striking back, the Israelis are being condemned for causing civilian casualties. Where were these voices during the years that Hamas was deliberately and admittedly killing Israeli civilians? Where were these voices when Hamas implemented its policy of using its own people as human shields against retaliation?
Two facts become obvious:
Israel values the lives of its citizens and is now doing and will continue doing what is necessary to protect its citizens.
Hamas views its own people as expendable pawns and willingly and knowingly places them in danger in order to gain a propaganda victory against Israel.

http://www.newstimes.com/ci_11376001

Hamas at fault, not Israelis
Sir:It amazes me that every time Israel makes a move to protect its citizens and sovereignty, bleeding hearts at the CBC continue to pester Israel over its alleged unbalanced response.
Even when the ceasefire was signed, Hamas militants fire rockets haphazardly into Israel.
Hit a military compound, that's nice. Hit a school or hospital, equally nice.
This is terrorism on a daily basis.
To feel sorry for the Palestinian people is a stretch considering they voted for Hamas, knowing the blow-back they would receive not only from their immediate neighbours but from most western powers as well.
As a matter of fact, Palestinians should be thankful that Israel still considers its targets as carefully as it does and not use the laissez faire targeting of Hamas.
The reason why there are civilian casualties at all is again due to the cowardice of the militants using civilians as human shields.
I would certainly hope that those at the liberal CBC that think Israel should open its borders to incoming Palestinian workers when such a threat exists for suicide bombers never end up with the job of minister for public safety in this country.
Hard hats and bomb shelters for all!

http://www.chathamdailynews.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1374059

The Volokh Conspiracy - Human Shields in Gaza:
But it takes a special kind of depravity to use your own civilians as human ... If the Hamas civilians *know* they are acting as human shields for the ...

http://volokh.com/posts/1230756039.shtml

Children of Hamas
Hamas has been firing these rockets from within densely populated areas using the Palestinian people as human shields. Mosques, hospitals, kindergartens

http://anadafreepress.com/index.php/article/7366

Peres: Europe must 'open eyes' on Gaza
United Press International
Peres blamed Hamas for the deaths of innocent civilians in the siege, saying the militants use them as human shields...

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/01/06/Peres_Europe_must_open_eyes_on_Gaza/UPI-94771231247258/

Hamas exploits public opinion
Newstimes Updated: 01/06/2009 07:23:35 PM EST
It is time to support Israel in her time of need. After living in a war zone with relentless rockets firing on innocent citizens even in a "cease-fire" agreement with Hamas, Israel has no choice but to destroy the terrorists who have one goal and that is to destroy Israel.
If the press would comment on Hamas' tactics of using women and children as human shields, of firing rockets from residential neighborhoods, of dressing Hamas officials in medical uniforms in hospitals, the tragic deaths of innocent Palestinians may be understood.
Israel has no choice but to destroy the point of rocket fire. If it comes from a mosque, a hospital, a home, a school, it is designed that way by the terrorists to hurt Israel.
They have no regard for their citizens and use them as propaganda tools to affect world opinion.
It would be helpful if the press would mention the tactics at the same time as they mention the tragic deaths of innocent bystanders. It is all calculated by Hamas and unfortunately not everyone is aware of their depth of cruelty.
Our tradition teaches us, "He who saves a single life, it is as if he saved an entire world." Israel reveres life and the terrorists revere death. It is unfortunate and tragic.
When the terrorists will show the same passion for peace as they do for death and hatred, there will be peace.

http://www.newstimes.com/ci_11387960

We have counseled our ally Israel to be very cautious about protecting innocents, and I do think that the Israelis take great care to do so. I saw the reports about the school. I don't have any information about that. I think that we should not jump to conclusions, and we should wait to find out what the evidence says. What we do know is that Hamas often hides amongst innocents, and uses innocent people, including children, as human shields.

http://www.enewspf.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5435:press-briefing-by-p ress-secretary-dana-perino-&catid=88888933&Itemid=88889535

Evidence of Hamas Use of Human Shields

http://yaakov.newsvine.com/_news/2009/01/06/2278116-evidence-of-hamas-use-of-human-shields

Global Islamo fascism's Genocidal Anti - Jewish demonstrations using the Gaza anti terror operation ' cast lead' as a cover (Dec 2008 - Jan 2009)
(Jan 2009) Jihad Watch reports that in the Netherlands, anti-Israel demonstrators have once again been chanting
Hamas Hamas, Jews to the gas
http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/024231.php
Atlas has pictures of the Muslims that have taken over Europe chanting “Jews to the gas.”
http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/2009/01/video-anne-fran.html
Demonstrators cry 'nuke Israel,' carry Hezbollah flags at U.S. ... 6 Jan 2009 ... ... Florida last week featured demonstrators carrying signs reading ...
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1052901.html
Florida demonstrator: Jews - you need a big oven' - 6 Jan 2009 ... Florida demonstrator: Jews - you need a big oven' ... Nuke, nuke Israel," followed by "Go to hell; go to hell; go to hell!" ...Another woman, wearing a (Muslim) headscarf, shouted: "Go steal other lands. Go! Murderers! Go back to the oven! You need a big oven."
Other signs accused Israel of "ethnic cleansing." "Israel is the terrorist," read a second, while a third wondered whether Israel had taken "notes during the Holocaust?"
An imam led the crowd in prayer. "Allahu Akhbar," they chanted before prostrating themselves on their prayer mats.
"We want to educate the people about what Islam really is so that they can appreciate the beauty of it," the imam told a reporter. "Once people understand the real beauty of Islam they will have no choice but to accept it because they will realize that it's part of their nature."
Following their (Islamic) prayers, the crowd crossed the road and confronted the pro-Israel group
http://www.jnewswire.com/article/2606
Genocidal hatred from pro-Hamas demonstrators -- "Nuke, nuke Israel." Chilling video from Tom Trento of WatchObsession.org. .... Florida A Tampa highway was lined with anti-Gaza War demonstrators on ...The stone, which is thrown at the Jews, hates these Jews, these Zionists, because Allah .... Muslims in American mosques praying for destruction of Israel ...
http://www.israelmilitary.net/showthread.php?p=36183
Protesting Against Israel or Hating Jews? - 6 Jan 2009 ... 'Muslim American Society'... The anti-Israel demonstration of some 200 to 300 people outside the ... for instance, carried signs saying "Nuke Israel,"...Now the notion of using of a nuclear device to eliminate Israel and thereby attempting to kill its roughly 5 million Jews is not a unique one, since words to that effect are regularly uttered, among others, by Iran's raving president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who dreams of such apocalyptic final solutions. What is unique is the morally-defective logic that would enable someone to justify a second Holocaust, the mass murder of Jews, on the basis of Israel having defended itself from years of rocket attacks and having killed several hundred murderous terrorists in the process. Making the Middle East free of Jews, Judenfrein, is exactly what Hamas, the group of murderous thugs being cheered on by the demonstrators here, ardently longs for; Hamas' charter, in fact, expresses as one of its core tenets that Israel should be eliminated, that "Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it."
http://www.americanthinker.com/2009/01/protesting_against_israel_or_h.html
December 31, 2008
"Death to all juice": Calling for genocide with plausible deniability?
http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/024163.php
January 4, 2009 chill and evil wind is blowing over the world. Genocidal Eurabia Alert
Denmark (Islamic banner reads): "Kill Jewish people evry where in ther world"
http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/024235.php
The banner reads, "Jews go to hell." Attached Images ...
http://www.goldtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?p=226463
Indonesian Muslim protesters hold a banner during a rally against . ... The banner reads, 'Jews go to hell.' REUTERS/Beawiharta. (INDONESIA) ...
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Israel--Indonesian-Muslim-protesters-hold-banner-during-rally-again st-Israeli-attacks-Gaza-Strip-Jakarta-January-2-2009-banner-reads-Jews-go/ss/events/wl/20070128_isra el/im:/02012009/6/photo/photos-n-news-indonesian-muslim-protesters-hold-banner-during-rally-against- israeli.html/
That Old Lovable “Jews Are Apes And Pigs” Canard
http://outoftheblu.wordpress.com/2009/01/04/that-old-lovable-jews-are-apes-and-pigs-canard/

Israelis voice horror at rejection of Arab child from Jewish daycare

John Lewis-Dickerson, Atlanta — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 12:23:32 EST

Israelis voice horror at rejection of Arab child from Jewish daycare

By Haaretz Staff and Channel 10 (Israel)

An Israeli Arab couple from northern Israel enjoyed outpourings of support on Thursday, the day after Channel 10 broadcast a story detailing the rejection of their 2-year-old daughter from a Jewish daycare near their home.

Mayssa and Shua'a Zuabi sought to place their daughter Dana in a daycare in Moshav Merchavia, but the teacher, who was initially supportive, told them Dana could not enroll due to the opposition of other parents.......

ENTIRE ARTICLE - http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1050145.html

Long Island Jewish Columnist: ‘Kill Muslims’

John Lewis-Dickerson, Atlanta — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 20:49:46 EST

Long Island Jewish Columnist: ‘Kill Muslims’Dec 12th, 2008 by Richard Silverstein @ "Tikun Olam"

When you read stories like the one I’m about to tell, it makes you wonder about the editorial judgment of the staff of some American Jewish newspapers. The Five Towns Jewish Times published yesterday, The Appropriate Response To Islamic Terror (the newspaper doesn’t have the courage of its publishing convictions and has removed the original article–I’ve linked to a cached version) by Lawrence Kulak. It’s a long, rambling discourse on Islamism and Muslim terror that advocates killing Muslim civilians in retaliation for Islamists killing western civilians.

Apparently, some Arab American activists picked up on the article and noticed a few glaring statements that simply boggle the mind:

…The only way to deal with Islamic terrorists is the same way in which they deal with their victims. Muslims believe in the literal interpretation of the Biblical doctrine of an eye for an eye, and they do not have respect for anything perceived as a lesser standard of justice. They killed our innocents, and unless we kill theirs, they will go on killing ours. The Torah, however, preaches a doctrine which, if implemented by the West, could finally put an end to all Islamic terror: If somebody is coming to kill you, rise up and kill him first.

Hard to believe the newspaper’s editor didn’t stop when he saw the italicized phrase. Unfortunately for him, CAIR noticed it and the paper is going to be in a considerable amount of hot water.

In addition, the problem with Kulak’s understanding of the Talmud’s (not the Torah as Kulak claims) dictum, which he apparently believes is the equivalent of the Bush Doctrine’s justification of pre-emption–is that he is wrong. The Talmud speaks of rising up to kill someone who is coming to kill you in the most literal sense. It does not mean for you to take the statement figuratively (though many on the Jewish far-right do). In other words, it would never justify murdering Islamists (even moreso innocent Muslim civilians) because they have expressed hostility to Jews or even, God forbid, attacked Jews in the past. Halacha would demand that you know that specific Muslims are coming to kill you before it would be permitted for you to kill those specific individuals (and certainly not other Islamists). And the statement is certainly not meant as justification for religious war against Islam or even Islamists...............

ENTIRE ARTICLE - http://www.richardsilverstein.com/tikun_olam/page/3/

AP: Many insisting Obama not black

John Lewis-Dickerson, Atlanta — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 18:08:01 EST

Obama's true colors: Black, white ... or neither?

By JESSE WASHINGTON

A perplexing new chapter is unfolding in Barack Obama's racial saga: Many people insist that "the first black president" is actually not black.

Debate over whether to call this son of a white Kansan and a black Kenyan biracial, African-American, mixed-race, half-and-half, multiracial — or, in Obama's own words, a "mutt" — has reached a crescendo since Obama's election shattered assumptions about race.

Obama has said, "I identify as African-American — that's how I'm treated and that's how I'm viewed. I'm proud of it." In other words, the world gave Obama no choice but to be black, and he was happy to oblige............

ENTIRE ARTICLE -
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jOBz9sF_F87Lsf3qhCMBSdOGtFQQD951VFE00

Post-Racial Racism at the "Washington Post" : The Undying Obsession with Black Family Values

John Lewis-Dickerson, Atlanta — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 16:26:53 EST

The Undying Obsession with Black Family Values

Post-Racial Racism at the Post

By DEDRICK MUHAMMAD @ counterpunch.com

As we come closer to the "post-racial age" of a Barack Obama presidency, I am intrigued to find that post-racial racism is already being propagated in the pages of the Washington Post. In "An Enduring Crisis for the Black Family," Kay Hymowitz blames the economic disfranchisement of African Americans upon the personal behavior of Black people and the silence of Black leaders concerning this behavior. Ms. Hymowitz portrays the massive national growth of single parent homes as a Black pathology. She uses the real challenge of the breakdown in the traditional family to further stereotype and lay blame on African Americans for racial inequality in this country......

ENTIRE ARTICLE - http://www.counterpunch.org/muhammad12112008.html

Mad As Hell and Got a Bone To Pick!!!

Mickiboop (P.O.B.) Be the Change — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 20:36:28 EST

MyBO needs to bring the letter writing tool back so that I can begin a new campaign to stop the media madness!

I was flipping channels on the tube this evening and made the mistake of watching a few minutes of CNN's Wolf B. just when they were exploiting a story about Barack using his middle name for the inauguration, as if there is something wrong or unnatural about him using his full name. I am so angry I could bite a brick! Why in hell are the media able to get away with such blatant racism against Muslims. YES - it is racist to make a big deal out of Barack's middle name as though his given name is some type of "foreign" covert signal to radical Muslims. There are millions of people throughout the U.S. and the world named Hussein and they are not scary or terrorist or any type of scallywag!!! What an absolute insult to our American Muslim population not to mention the millions of Muslims around the world that love Barack Hussein Obama II.

This is just as bad as what the American government did to the American Japanese during WWII, with the villainization and encampment of an entire race of American people because of a war fought thousands of miles away. Now we vilify all Muslims because of the war on terror and 9/11 as though Muslims had a secret world meeting and decided that all Muslims would become hate-mongers. How stupid it that!!! And while I'm on this roll, here's a little more to smoke - since America is a mosaic of hundreds of races, beliefs, cultures, religions, traditions, and behaviors, why the hell are we still labeling and allowing ourselves to be labeled a specific type of American when other nations don't divide their citizens? We say British not White, Black, Asian, Hispanic British, or we say French, not Black, Asian, Hispanic or White French. How stupid it that!!!

Most Americans are smart enough to recognize these dastardly tactics for what they are and will no longer fall for them. But - there are folks in America who are totally against Barack Obama being sworn in as our 44th president just because of his skin tone along with the lies and smears that were constantly heaped on him during the primary and general election races. For these reasons alone, the media needs to refrain from these idiotic, race bating, malignant, repugnant, totally disgusting stories that do nothing more than keep people divided! $%^&*(!!!!!!!! Wish I knew how to post pictures on this blog, I'd post one of a big ugly beast with huge teeth right here. Someone tried to teach me how once but it didn't work - oh well ~ Y'all know what I mean... I'm freaking P.O.ed about this one!

Hi Joe The Plumber meet Joe The Believer (Sneak peep from my upcoming book)

Joe The Believer — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 12:44:02 EST

After loosing the elections to Obama. John Mccain goes home with hope of having a wonderful Thanksgiving with his immediate family. Mccain flew into his hometown on his private jet but when he reached the airport, his usual guest didn’t greet him. There weren’t any balloons, the bands weren’t playing or crowds weren’t cheering. This was unusual, he didn’t even see Sarah Palin. He looked into the distance but all he could see was snow and his cold breath in the air. He looked at his secret service and even they looked shocked about what was happening. For 40 years his town greeted him every Thanksgiving, so WHAT HAPPENED.

He looked at his wife and gave her a smile then said, “Moneys been tight this year for everyone baby. Maybe the town couldn’t afford a celebration this year”

Mrs. Mccain looked at her husband with her devilish grind, “You’re probably right baby. Everyone can’t afford the things we have!”

Mccain grabbed his wife arm and helped her through the snow. He looked at his wife then said, “At least we still have our limo!”

Mccain’s limo was black and warm inside. The bar was filled with Champaign, just like years before. His secret service followed the limo in their black Yukon. Mccain could see despair in his wife’s eyes. He looked at her and said this while he rubbed her thigh, “Baby, I’m still your little P.O.W, right”

Mrs. Mccain’s wife batted her eyes then ran her finger thru Mccain’s hair and gave him a hug as he continued to rub her thigh, “You are my little soldier. Don’t worry!”

Mccain leaned back in his leather seats proud of what he just heard. But when he looked out his window it all disappeared, “What’s going on here?”, Mccain yelled.

Mrs. Mccain rushed to the window because she wanted to see. But what she saw she couldn’t believe, “Why do everyone in your town have Obama campaign signs in there yards!’

Mrs. Mccain looked at John and she immediately knew he was scarred. His eye lit up like a deer staring into your headlights, “I can’t believe it. My own people voted for Obama. What’s going on?”

Alarms kept ringing in John’s ears as he looked out the window and things slowly started to become clear. Most of the people he knew was in Obama’s below 250 thousand dollar tax bracket. While Mccain was trying to help the rich, he was forgetting about the poor. This is something that Republicans have done thousands of times before. As Mccain’s thoughts lingered as his wife started to scream.

Mrs. Mccain, “What the hell did you do? You lost to a black man. Now our lives are ruined. No one will ever remember you for being a prisoner of war. Now everyone will look at us and laugh. And our friends want come to our parties or to any of our functions because you were the first White Republican Man to loose to a Black Democrat.”

Mccain couldn’t believe what was ringing in his ears. He looked at his wife because he felt like he had to make things clear, “LooK!”, pointing, “This race wasn’t about color. I lost to a great man. A-----smart guy!”

Mrs. Mccain laughed, “You lost to a Smart Guy… You lost to a great man”, She paused, “You didn’t say that when you were running around calling him a terrorist. You didn’t say that when you made allegations that Obama was a socialist or he wasn’t fit to be President for the last 23 months”

John looked his wife dead in her eyes, “Now you listen here. I only said those things because your family was about to be taxed because of his policies, if your family loose money then I loose money. I didn’t marry you for only your body, Baby. I married you for power and your family seen me as an opportunity to increase their power.”

Mrs. Mccain was furious about what she just heard. Her eyes was red and her vision was blurried, “You little short dwarf. I know you are angry right now, so I’m going to act like I didn’t hear what you just said. But remember one thing! I made you and I’ll break you… Believe it..You had a chance to get power but you lost, I never lost and I can changed your world with a flick of the wrist”

John looked at her but he couldn’t figure out what he was seeing, “Who is this bitch”, he whispered. Like the old saying goes. Behind every strong man there is a stronger woman. Now while the Mccain’s argued the driver sat up front with his own ideas. He turned on his bullhorn so everyone outside could hear. Young kids threw snowballs as the limo riding by. An old lady with a walker stood on the sidewalk and held her middle finger up high. Other yelled, “Mccain’s a Liar!” loud and clear. Even the secret service trailed and started to cheer. The driver kept peeping from his ringside seats, hoping that the Mccains will continue to tickle his ears. When he notice nothing was happening he took a sudden turn. He knew where he could go and Mccain would burn. From uptown to downtown brick homes turned into projects then the silence finally cleared. The driver heard John whisper something in Mrs. Mccain’s ear, “I think we are in the ghetto. Be quiet. Maybe they want see us.”

Beyond Black & White

Rev. John Crestwell — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 23:29:30 EST

BEYOND BLACK & WHITE

Rev. John T. Crestwell, Jr.

http://dmuuc.libsyn.com

This reading I’m going to share are the words of Frances Ellen Watkins Harper— Unitarian, abolitionist, feminist, poet, author—just an amazing African American women in the 1800s. This reading is from her speech titled, “We Are All Bound up Together,” given before the Eleventh National Women’s Rights Convention held in New York in 1866.

“We are all bound up together in one great bundle of humanity, and society cannot trample on the weakest and feeblest of its members without receiving the curse in its own soul. You tried that in the case of the Negro. You pressed him down for two centuries; and in so doing you crippled the moral strength and paralyzed the spiritual energies of the white men of the country. When the hands of the black were fettered, white men were deprived of the liberty of speech and the freedom of the press. Society cannot afford to neglect the enlightenment of any class of its members. At the South, the legislation of the country was in behalf of the rich slaveholders, while the poor white man was neglected. What is the consequence today? From that very class of neglected poor white men, comes the man who stands today with his hand upon the helm of the nation. He fails to catch the watchword of the hour, and throws himself, the incarnation of meanness, across the pathway of the nation. My objection to [President] Andrew Johnson is not that he has been a poor white man; my objection is that he keeps “poor WHITS” all the way through. That is the trouble with him… The grand and glorious revolution which has commenced, will fail to reach its climax of success, until throughout the length and breadth of the American Republic, the nation shall be so color-blind, as to know no man by the color of his skin or the curl of his hair. It will then have no privileged class, trampling upon and outraging the unprivileged classes, but will be then one great privileged nation, whose privilege will be to produce the loftiest manhood and womanhood that humanity can attain.

Racist Arabism & Violence: Dictatorship, Oppression, War, Terrorism

Unknown user — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 10:53:09 EST

Arabism - Violence

Racist Arabism & Violence: Dictatorship, Oppression, War, Terrorism

The front runners of Pan-Arabism, brutal tyrants and waged large scale wars, such as Egypt's Nasser [168], Saddam Hussein [169], Syria's Assad (on Lebanon [170] [171] [172] and on it's own people [173] [174] including the Hama massacre [175] [176] and the dictator in Sudan Al Bashir [177] [178].

The linkage to terror

Protecting terrorism, Pan-Arabism: the inhuman progenitor of Islamic Terrorism [179]. "Terror was used by the Arabs against the Jews in the Land of Israel since the dawn of Zionism." [180].

An Arabist group called Jamiat-e Dawa el al Qurani Wasouna. The J.D.Q., as it is known by American intelligence, is suspected of having links to both the Saudi and Kuwaiti governments [181]

Osama bin Laden is in fact the latest and quintessential product of pan-Arabism [182]

Palestinian Fatah Leader, School Books Supports Terrorism Against US in Iraq, quote: "We [however,] take pride in this [Arab nationalist] language because we are the authentic Arabs who believe in our Arabism, our faith, our cause" [183]

Polish politicians’ racist remarks target Obama

John Lewis-Dickerson, Atlanta — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 22:27:29 EST

Polish politicians’ racist remarks target Obama

Polish politicians are keeping up with the trend of the last two weeks by making racist jokes at the expense of Barack Obama.

Following the U.S. election an inappropriate joke, related to the President's skin colour, was made by the Polish minister of foreign affairs, Radoslaw Sikorski. Now, a similar comment has been made by the Polish President's twin brother and leader of the "Law and Justice" party, Jaroslaw Kaczynski.

The leader of the Social Democratic party was critical of the affair, and said in a statement: "I have previously heard the joke about Barack Obama and his family background from Jaroslaw Kaczynski". He noted that the same joke was voiced by the head of Poland's foreign ministry.

Last week, further comments on Barack Obama's race were made by Artur Gurski, another member of the "Law and Justice" party. During the party's session, Gurski made a series of negative remarks directed at Obama and followed by saying that the election of Barack Obama as the US president was "a catastrophe, and the end of white people's civilization".........

ENTIRE ARTICLE - http://www.russiatoday.com/features/news/33440

Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said Wednesday that Israel had made a final decision not to participate in a U.N. forum on racism and urged other countries to boycott what she termed an "anti-Israel tribunal."

John Lewis-Dickerson, Atlanta — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 19:46:10 EST

Israel says will boycott U.N. forum on racism

REUTERS
Reuters North American News Service

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said Wednesday that Israel had made a final decision not to participate in a U.N. forum on racism and urged other countries to boycott what she termed an "anti-Israel tribunal."

The United Nations said it regretted the decision.

The World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, to be held in Geneva in April, is a follow-up to a 2001 summit in Durban, South Africa on the same issues.

Israel and the United States walked out of the first conference in protest over draft texts branding Israel as a racist and apartheid state -- language that was later dropped.

The Ground Didn't Shift: Obama and the Politics of Race and Religion in America

John Lewis-Dickerson, Atlanta — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 15:08:03 EST

The Ground Didn't Shift

Obama and the Politics of Race and Religion in America

By M. SHAHID ALAM @ counterpunch.com

It is perhaps a bit late in the day, nearly two weeks after November 4, to be writing about Barack Obama’s electoral victory. This want of alacrity, however, is intentional.

I thought it would be cruel to write any sooner, when whites and blacks alike were so effusively celebrating Obama’s victory. It would be unseemly to strike a discordant note when a clear majority of Americans was savoring this putative post-racial moment in their history.....

ENTIRE ARTICLE - http://www.counterpunch.org/shahid11192008.html

Work to do...

Jeff the Teacher — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 14:50:57 EST

A certain foundation was laid in order for Barack Obama's election to become a reality. That foundation was built on the backs of civil rights workers; by the risks they took, the hard work in which they were engaged, and the blood they shed. Going back to Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglas--and before--through W.E.B. Dubois, Rosa Parks, Dr. King, and countless others known and unknown, our next president and all of us who support him stand on the shoulders of courage and dedication. Those who challenge the status quo know that power does not yield without a fight. The Bull Connors and George Wallaces of the world are just a few of the very public examples of what occurs when entrenched thought, attitudes, and world views are shoved off their pedestals of power.

Within my own family my wife and I have had to deal with these entrenched attitudes. I have heard the "uppity N****r" comments along with, "once a muslim, always a muslim." Additionally--and most recently--another member of my family couldn't wait to reveal to us the new information concerning Barack Obama found on the internet: it would appear that Mr. Obama has close ties to the Chicago mob and that our government will really be run within those levers of power in the Windy City. Insert papacy and Vatican for mob and Chicago and you have a recycling of the same types of prejudices that confronted President Kennedy. It would seem that old habits die hard.

Comments that reveal racial attitudes and paranoia aside, the obvious falsity of religious and criminal assertions are easily dealt with providing you live in the reality based world. These are simply expressions of bigotry by those who have found a more polite way to spew their invective. Muslim = terrorist = Arab. Mobster = gangster = gangsta...you can guess where this one goes. Racism isn't dead, it has found new ways to spread. Below I've included an article from the Associated Press. It would appear that we have much work to do. And please note that some of the following incidents occur far from the South.

Obama election spurs race crimes around country
By JESSE WASHINGTON (AP National Writer)
From Associated PressNovember 16, 2008 12:00 AM EST
Cross burnings. Schoolchildren chanting "Assassinate Obama." Black figures hung from nooses. Racial epithets scrawled on homes and cars. Incidents around the country referring to President-elect Barack Obama are dampening the postelection glow of racial progress and harmony, highlighting the stubborn racism that remains in America.
From California to Maine, police have documented a range of alleged crimes, from vandalism and vague threats to at least one physical attack. Insults and taunts have been delivered by adults, college students and second-graders. There have been "hundreds" of incidents since the election, many more than usual, said Mark Potok, director of the Intelligence Project at the Southern Poverty Law Center, which monitors hate crimes.
One was in Snellville, Ga., where Denene Millner said a boy on the school bus told her 9-year-old daughter the day after the election: "I hope Obama gets assassinated." That night, someone trashed her sister-in-law's front lawn, mangled the Obama lawn signs, and left two pizza boxes filled with human feces outside the front door, Millner said. She described her emotions as a combination of anger and fear. "I can't say that every white person in Snellville is evil and anti-Obama and willing to desecrate my property because one or two idiots did it," said Millner, who is black. "But it definitely makes you look a little different at the people who you live with, and makes you wonder what they're capable of and what they're really thinking." Potok, who is white, said he believes there is "a large subset of white people in this country who feel that they are losing everything they know, that the country their forefathers built has somehow been stolen from them."
Grant Griffin, a 46-year-old white Georgia native, expressed similar sentiments: "I believe our nation is ruined and has been for several decades and the election of Obama is merely the culmination of the change. "If you had real change it would involve all the members of (Obama's) church being deported," he said. Change in whatever form does not come easy, and a black president is "the most profound change in the field of race this country has experienced since the Civil War," said William Ferris, senior associate director of the Center for the Study of the American South at the University of North Carolina. "It's shaking the foundations on which the country has existed for centuries."
"Someone once said racism is like cancer," Ferris said. "It's never totally wiped out, it's in remission. "If so, America's remission lasted until the morning of Nov. 5. The day after the vote hailed as a sign of a nation changed, black high school student Barbara Tyler of Marietta, Ga., said she heard hateful Obama comments from white students, and that teachers cut off discussion about Obama's victory. Tyler spoke at a press conference by the Georgia chapter of the NAACP calling for a town hall meeting to address complaints from across the state about hostility and resentment. Another student, from a Covington middle school, said he was suspended for wearing an Obama shirt to school Nov. 5 after the principal told students not to wear political paraphernalia. The student's mother, Eshe Riviears, said the principal told her: "Whether you like it or not, we're in the South, and there are a lot of people who are not happy with this decision."
Other incidents include:
-Four North Carolina State University students admitted writing anti-Obama comments in a tunnel designated for free speech expression, including one that said: "Let's shoot that (N-word) in the head." Obama has received more threats than any other president-elect, authorities say.
-At Standish, Maine, a sign inside the Oak Hill General Store read: "Osama Obama Shotgun Pool." Customers could sign up to bet $1 on a date when Obama would be killed. "Stabbing, shooting, roadside bombs, they all count," the sign said. At the bottom of the marker board was written "Let's hope someone wins."
-Racist graffiti was found in places including New York's Long Island, where two dozen cars were spray-painted; Kilgore, Texas, where the local high school and skate park were defaced; and the Los Angeles area, where swastikas, racial slurs and "Go Back To Africa" were spray painted on sidewalks, houses and cars.
-Second- and third-grade students on a school bus in Rexburg, Idaho, chanted "assassinate Obama," a district official said.
-University of Alabama professor Marsha L. Houston said a poster of the Obama family was ripped off her office door. A replacement poster was defaced with a death threat and a racial slur. "It seems the election brought the racist rats out of the woodwork," Houston said.
-Black figures were hanged by nooses from trees on Mount Desert Island, Maine, the Bangor Daily News reported. The president of Baylor University in Waco, Texas said a rope found hanging from a campus tree was apparently an abandoned swing and not a noose.
-Crosses were burned in yards of Obama supporters in Hardwick, N.J., and Apolacan Township, Pa.
-A black teenager in New York City said he was attacked with a bat on election night by four white men who shouted 'Obama.'
-In the Pittsburgh suburb of Forest Hills, a black man said he found a note with a racial slur on his car windshield, saying "now that you voted for Obama, just watch out for your house."
Emotions are often raw after a hard-fought political campaign, but now those on the losing side have an easy target for their anger. "The principle is very simple," said BJ Gallagher, a sociologist and co-author of the diversity book "A Peacock in the Land of Penguins."
"If I can't hurt the person I'm angry at, then I'll vent my anger on a substitute, i.e., someone of the same race."
"We saw the same thing happen after the 9-11 attacks, as a wave of anti-Muslim violence swept the country. We saw it happen after the Rodney King verdict, when Los Angeles blacks erupted in rage at the injustice perpetrated by 'the white man.'"
"It's as stupid and ineffectual as kicking your dog when you've had a bad day at the office," Gallagher said. "But it happens a lot."

Stephen Views the News 11/16/08

Stephen from Elkins Park, PA — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 12:17:31 EST

Stephen Views the News 11/16/08

http://stephenviewsthenews.blogspot.com/

* Bumper Sticker of the Week ~ Joe Must Go – Many voices are urging the Democratic Party in the Senate to remove Joe Lieberman from his chairmanship of the Homeland Security committee. I believe that this would be the correct action. His campaigning for John McCain and his questioning Barack Obama’s patriotism are at the bottom of the list of reasons for Joe to go. His pathetic record of leadership on this important committee is the overriding justification for his removal. Intentional incompetence best describes his tenure in this post. As Rachel Maddow on her MSNBC show and Heather writing at Crooks and Liars point out, Lieberman over the last two years, never held hearings on the disastrous US government response to the Katrina hurricane disaster nor did the committee look into no-bid contracts awarded to friends and associates of Dick Cheney and George W. Bush. Many of those contracts were implemented incompetently while the US government was overcharged billions of dollars. As chairman of this committee Lieberman did not represent the interests of the American people. Instead, Lieberman represented the interests of the Bush administration that operated in secret and often outside of legal parameters, and at great cost to you and me, the citizens recovering from a natural disaster, and the military men and women who were underserved as they served this country while in harms way. Joe Must Go.

* Remember Typhoid Mary? ~ Meet Leukemia Dick and some of the other dicks who “serve” America – Drilling for natural gas, a policy being touted as a means of reducing America's dependence on foreign oil, may contaminate water supplies with unsafe levels of chemicals like benzene, a compound that can cause leukemia, according to an investigation by Pro Publica. The drilling process, pioneered by Dick Cheney's former company Haliburton, uses water pressure and chemicals to break rocks and release the gas. It was exempted by Congress from the Safe Water Act after a 2004 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) study declared it safe. It now appears that this EPA study was not as conclusive at it claimed to be.

It is well-documented that the EPA often goes out of its way NOT to protect the environment and the American public. It is well-documented that Cheney has been the most ardent advocate for the interests of energy companies and Haliburton. One wonders what influence was imposed upon the EPA that resulted in this exemption from the Safe Water Act. “More than 1,000 other cases of contamination have been documented by courts and state and local governments in Colorado, New Mexico, Alabama, Ohio and Pennsylvania. In one case, a house exploded after hydraulic fracturing created underground passageways and methane seeped into the residential water supply. In other cases, the contamination occurred not from actual drilling below ground, but on the surface, where accidental spills and leaky tanks, trucks and waste pits allowed benzene and other chemicals to leach into streams, springs and water wells.” This is but one example where the interaction of the executive branch, the legislative branch, federal agencies and business failed the American people. The majority of the problems and dangers confronting America today are the result of such failed leadership.

* Fly Me to the Moon ~ it may be safer – Sixteen months ago I commented about the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) being accused of covering up mistakes by air traffic controllers at Dallas-Fort Worth airport. It was discouraging to learn that a federal agency empowered to protect air travelers was actually complicit in reducing safe conditions. At a minimum, one would expect that the release of the report would have resulted in personnel changes and an upgrading of the oversight. Not in the current state of our federal government.

ABC reports a new investigation has found “the misclassifying of safety errors had continued” at Dallas-Fort Worth, that FAA employees continued to hide safety errors. It causes one to wonder if the repeated dereliction of duty by the FAA at Dallas-Fort Worth is it also taking place at other airports. What is happening in Boston, NY, LA, Miami and hundreds of other major airports? I imagine that remedial action will be taken when two or three planes collide, resulting in the death of 639 passengers, 19 crew members, 412 people on the ground and the widespread destruction of a residential neighborhood. The Senate Committee on Homeland Security may even hold hearings. Perhaps Republican Texas Senators John Cornyn and Kay Bailey Hutchinson will exercise their fiduciary responsibility by pressing for an investigation into this problem that bodes dire consequences. Perhaps a new administration will coerce a sense of responsibility and accountability into the performance of federal agencies. That would be a refreshing development.

* Change we can believe in ~ it is up to us – The above examples of broken government brings to mind the often-used and cynical phrase, “You can’t fight City Hall.” It is only a truism if good people do nothing. I was reminded of this while reading an article by Gary Younge in the British newspaper The Guardian titled, “Obama's army of supporters must maintain their level of activism.” Younge notes that the characterization of American political life - the notion of a lazy, contented people who do not vote, care or really understand what is being done in their name and leaving governance to big business, and lobbyists – may be changing. I recommend the article because it notes many changes that have been occurring within the American electorate.

I would suggest that the change Younge identifies is a result of two influences; the devastatingly damaging tenure of George W. Bush and the electric and populist rise of Barack Obama. The Bush years awakened a previously unengaged citizenry and the Obama campaign provided the vehicle to channel the disappointment, the losses, the regression and resulting anger and frustration into a movement for change. This new activist citizenry demands responsible and responsive leadership. It opposes narrow ideology agendas and expects federal leadership to address the major issues that challenge our society – challenges that have been ignored over the last eight years. The higher expectations have brought us a new president, senators and representatives that embrace progressive ideas. Their mission is to overcome a bureaucratic government burdened by politicization, ideology and special interests as well as accepted and expected incompetence. Success will require a continually engaged citizenry that keeps a bright light on the ills, vociferously communicates to elected representatives the change that is required and rewards responsible and responsive representatives with re-election.

* All things Progressive – If you have interest in Progressive ideas and activities I recommend the web site The Bucks/Mont Progressive Events. The editor Tom Ulrich does a terrific job each month identifying Progressive events in the Philadelphia area and national broadcasts, publications and videos.

* All things regressive ~ prejudice, hate, ignorance – Much of the Sarah Palin rhetoric during the presidential campaign appealed to this three-headed Hydra. Those susceptible to divisive discourse reveled in the speeches of Palin and other Republican orators. The forces of hate are as real and alive today as they were 50 and 100 years ago. These forces certainly are not as widespread but, certainly as real. One example of such despicable human behavior is the Ku Klux Klan. This organization, originally spawned to repress African Americans, has broadened its “vision” to include Latinos and other minorities. It is fortunate that we have people such as Morris Dees and his organization The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) standing up to forces that debase civil rights and humanity.

In Kentucky on Friday the SPLC gained a decisive jury verdict against members of the KKK, accused of severely beating a Latino in 2006 at a rural county fair. As Dees noted, "The people of Meade County, Kentucky, have spoken loudly and clearly. And what they've said is that ethnic violence has no place in our society, that those who promote hate and violence will be held accountable and made to pay a steep price." The verdict against Imperial Klans of America (IKA), Imperial Wizard Ron Edwards and two former KKK members who have already served prison terms for their involvement was $2.5 million. It is likely the judgment will cripple IKA’s 16 chapters that are located throughout eight states.

The weakening of a KKK group is encouraging but the ugliness of hate that infects the land of the free and the home of the brave will not be eradicated in our lifetime. As noted in an article at the Huffington Post the election of Barack Obama has spurred hundreds of race threats and crimes that include, “Cross burnings. Schoolchildren chanting ‘Assassinate Obama.’ Black figures hung from nooses. Racial epithets scrawled on homes and cars.” America has come a long way in civil rights and human relations. Gay rights are improving with much still to be achieved. There is much to be proud of in America but the road ahead will not be free of prejudice, hate and ignorance. It is a flaw in the human condition that may never be overcome.

* “You cannot hate other people without hating your self.”

Oprah Winfrey

Grateful on night of November 4th

Pam Hayes — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 12:24:04 EST

I write three things I am grateful for, twice a day. I had more than three things to be grateful on the night of November 4th!

journalist's request

Ann Imse — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 16:17:18 EST

Hi, all,

I would like to ask your help in a journalistic research project, which I hope will result in an article or book. I expect to have to ask this question of thousands of people in order to find the few who fit the profile I’m seeking.

I’m trying to find people who overcame a personal bias against black people in order to vote for Barack Obama for president. I’m looking for individual stories of how people moved away from bias they grew up with, to the point where the US could elect a black president. This change could have occurred gradually, or quickly for this election.

I'm looking for people willing to talk seriously about their own bias, to canvassers who ran into biased people and talked them past it, to people who voted for Obama and didn't dare tell a racist boss or relative, to anyone else who has a direct story about this change in attitude in America.

So please, if you can help, 1. write back to me with your own stories or just your contact information, but even if you don't fit, 2. pass this request to your list of friends. Ask them to pass it on to their friends.

I'm a journalist with decades in newspapers. I'm a former foreign correspondent who covered the collapse of the Soviet Union, and did not misquote Soviet leader Gorbachev. I promise to record your statements accurately.

Please, help me document this monumental change in our country.

If you can help, please contact me at the e-mail below.

Thank you.

Ann Imse E-mail to: research31@gmail.com

Barack Obama: A President that will inspire and Represent

Vivian — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 16:23:03 EST

No one can argue that the majority of the people in the Unites States of America decided to vote for “Change.” Without reasonable doubt, the American people listened with an open ear and a clear heart to Barack Obama over the course of twenty-two months.

Talking To Bush

UpsideDown — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 06:15:21 EST

When I was 10, a supposedly insensitive age for boys, Ronnie was always around when my buds gathered at what was called the goose egg, a minipark. Sometimes football was in the cards and our game spilled over into the street and to neighboring yards.

Ronnie had Downs' syndrome and was older. For sure he was much bigger, with huge thighs and arms that made four or five of ours. Of course he was mentally retarded but he knew when we talked down to him, and didn't like it. He never hurt us, but would instead sometimes express his displeasure by taking a dump in our play area. Other times he would just wander around and fall down where we were playing.

Our policy was "whatever Ronnie wants" meaning that to argue with him or insist on doing something he didn't want to do, was going nowhere fast. The worst he would do was that sometimes he'd take the football and sit on it. At first as a group we'd bowl him over and grab it -- and then he'd mess with us the rest of the day. So we found a strategy that worked: Wait him out. If he took the ball, we did something else. Always then he felt excluded, and either left the ball and ambled home, or gave it to us, in the hope that we'd include him in some way.

This I think is the way to handle Bush in the interim period, and seems to be something that not quite President Obama can use to the country's advantage. For example it is only in everyone's best interest to save GM while using the opportunity to bring enlightenment to Detroit.

Better and greener cars made in the USA will happen, and if GM doesn't lead the way new car companies and foreign based car companies will.

While Bush is far too stupid to have any real ideology like say, Cheney, he has been successfully manipulated for eight years and there is no reason to think this will change.

Our team must adopt the whatever-Ronnie-wants policy. The free trade agreement for Columbia? Sure, send it on. Of course the Columbian government is repressive and its right wingers have a death grip on its industries. But when Congress returns is the time to make changes in the bill, not now. We are not lying; we're keeping things afloat until a real government takes over. A sensible one.

Let us all hope that when the next manufactured personality makes it to the national stage that the press exposes it. This one, this compassionate conservative ranch hand has almost killed us.

On another note, we've all now had time to analyze the vote, especially the bigot vote. Obviously there is much work to be done, but we should not lose heart. Even if the Obama campaign didn't actually change the percentage, it changed people. They just don't know it yet. Over the course of the Obama presidency, they will change more. The crack in the wall is big enough to drive a Mac truck through.

Sarah Palin Side Show Is Time Consuming while Republicans work on a "MasterParty"

Gloria Keith Computer Lit Te'c/C'sultant — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 19:23:20 EST

The Sarah Palin Story after the election of Barack Obama, now President-Elect 2008 is a side show for members of the repulican party and 888 Hate Groups in America 2008 to plan their right strategy to build a "Master Party". The more time the news media spends on Sarah Palin will seduce more TV watchers, more voters, more Americans to think Republicans or better known "American Patriots", also a category of the active 888 Hate Groups researched and named by Morris Dees, Atty /Director of Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery, AL (Headquarters) Check this out online. Run cross-references with the following names: Sarah Palin, Arthur Jensen, Rush Lambaugh, Sean Hannity, FOXTV, John McCain(question of his limited involvement), William Shockley, "American Patriots" Haters and Hate Group...I am certain you will find others... Don't under estimate Sarah Palin...It's truly sad for children of Special Needs. What will you do with this information? I believe if you send your own findings to MSNBCTV, they will do an investigation on this cross=reference info involving Sarah Palin and the Dr. Arthur Jensen connected with the George Bush Family, was granted over 5 million dollars in 1982, more befire, and still more, after 1982...The thing is, I had pushed this name, Arthur Jensen in the back of my mind, His research and study caused my 3 special needs bona-fide Gifted children in the top 3% of the Nation--a true Education. But, being intelligent and utilizing my intelligence, I insightfully, with vision, produced, developed and implemented my own True Education Program on the foundation of Heritage: "Every Child Born Gifted". So Arthur Jensen's effect on the American people in Panama City, Bay, Florida, inspired and encouraged me to move and act positively on my vision. My 3 gifted and talented children, born black, not Dumb, had 4-15 scholarships for college and chose the one they wanted to go to to build, continually, their careers and lives. Arthur Jensen is no joke. Arthur Jensen has a great following. Arthur Jensen leads Sarah Palin, financialy and otherwise.

Again, what will you do with this information and the confirmation of info from your own thinking and findings? actionspeaks.

gloriahnt@yahoo.com

Ending Racism

Brice from Fort Lauderdale, FL — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 15:47:01 EST

First, this was THE vote heard round the world and I believe, shifted the entire consciousness of the planet. I love that someone I, and many, didn't know a year ago stood in the face of ALL 'nay-sayers' and realized his dream...this is a true testament to staying the course 'in spite of'.

An issue AND opportunity I see in this entire process is ending racism once and for all and I think that ball has already started to roll. I was encouraged by the 'exit polls' to learn that only 8% of whites voted for McCain based on race AND those voters were 50yrs and older.

I LOVE that Obama's campaign has not been about race. However, it is still the main focus of the media. I feel it's time we all stopped referring to ourselves as our race. We are Americans, period. We are Americans first. If you want to discuss what our nationality is, then that's a different conversation. We all have a history and a story and all of our ancestors were abused on some level, somewhere at some time. Declaring ourselves as Americans first doesn't mean we forget...the heritage of our ancestors will always live on in honor. We can each be proud of and celebrate our heritage without ramming it down each other's throats and being self-righteous about it. (I believe self-righteousness is the source of all violence/wars.)

I feel it's time we all referred to each other as Americans because that's what we are...Americans from all cultures that have rites and rituals specific to those particular cultures our ancestors came from AND we're a beautiful mix of ALL of it...which is what America stands for...The Union of All Cultures and Races living in harmony. If we all 'own' being Americans first we can see each other more as a human than as a color and we perpetuate the vision of the founders of this country.

I was humbly made aware of my own unconscious racism when, like a lightning bolt one day, I realized my new friend was not black, as I had been referring to her as, but Surinamese. Shamefully, I realized that I had an even higher opinion of her because she came from another country and carved out her own little niche on her own here BUT more disturbing was that I became aware of the unconscious, historic and limiting definition I, over time, had associated with the word 'black'. I realized in that moment, referring to anyone as 'black' was doing them, their culture and what our country stands for, a MAJOR injustice.

I don't think we realize that we're keeping racism alive by being the victims AND the perpetrators of it. Can you imagine the peace and freedom we can create by choosing to be an American and no longer entertaining being a race?

I'm finding myself taking exception to the references that a 'black/african american' man has won this election. Obama isn't a 'black-american or african-american'...first he's an American and second he's a bi-racial American. To say a black man has won this election totally invalidates his 'white' mother and further, to mention race at all just perpetuates racism. Obama is the epitome of what our country is all about. If the media 'needs' to mention race then at the very least, I think they should refer to him correctly as the first bi-racial President.

And while I'm on my soapbox, I'd like to address the 'n' word...It's a word, people and has NO meaning EXCEPT the meaning we grant it...the power WE give it. It's only a bunch of letters we use (like we do a ka-zillion times a day) to make words that also do not have any meaning except the meaning and power we lend them.

So I say we DON'T bury this word!!! I say we throw it around until it becomes just down right silly, like the car crash in Blues Brothers...until there's nothing left to do but laugh about it because it's lost all it's meaning. Like when you were a kid and said a word over and over again until it didn't sound like the word anymore.

So in light of killing the meaning attached to the 'n' word once and for all, I invite you to say it outloud a ga-zillion times until it's silly...join me, won't you? Seriously...just do this for even 30 seconds and the 'n' word starts to sound like 'knickers'...now there's nothing 'bad' about knickers is there? EXACTLY MY POINT!!!!

And the opportunity from THIS moment forward is to forgive all past tresspasses and move forward by creating a 'race-less'/'face-less' America. What that means is that we will no longer speak in terms of nationalities and ethnicities FIRST, we will address FIRST that we are Americans... because as we witnessed in the 9/11 attack, it wasn't the blacks or whites or asians or muslims or jews that came to our rescue it was Americans that defended this country and Americans that gave their lives to save the lives of other Americans.

Thank you for listening...thank you for your vision,
Brice

President Obama and the explosion of hidden racism

democrat — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 00:35:12 EST

Some racists have been bold enough, dare I say honest enough, to make their feelings known, even before this election. So I can give them partial credit for at least "keeping it real." They let me know how they felt about me, and that enabled me to know who to stay away from. Which is a big deal to me, because I don't deal with people who wish me ill will. I don't waste time trying to change people's feelings and thoughts; your brain and your emotions are your business. Just stay clear of me.

But it's the sneaky racists that alarm me, it's the hidden stuff that's deadly. It's the treachery, cloaked behind words like "Christian." It's the maniacs, who themselves, along with their well-trained sons and daughters, comfortable both in the illusion of anonymity that the Internet provides, and their Emmitt Till-exemplified criminal immunity, pop off presidential death threats on YouTube. The ones who are driving sudden, record gun sales in America, without being weapons traffickers or gang-bangers, forcing me to have to explain to the deluded that people who buy guns plan to use them.

I recently dropped out of a Texas school called Dallas Baptist University. It's called a "Christian" school. I hadn't had any specific problems there, but let's just say the vibe was socially uncomfortable. Not many people of color there, and I often felt like I was interrupting something when I walked into class, through a pack of students, etc. I thought it was just me, and made nothing else of it.

Well, recently I was told that on election night, DBU held an election viewing, and when it was announced that Obama won, students at the so-called Christian school started cursing and talking about leaving America. Basically they acted like "rogue" McCain supporters.

Strange Jesus they worship. I don't think I know him.

I'm glad I wasn't there. I'm also glad I left that school. But had I been there, I never would have saw that coming. And that's what alarms me. It's the kind of thing that makes me look around in my daily environment, and in spite of all the white Americans who I saw crying and touched on election night, and in spite of all the decent Christian people who probably attend DBU along with those maniacs, I'm led to wonder how many rational-looking, "nigger"-hating loons circulate around me at any given moment. Because if there's one thing that observation and history have taught me, it's this: YOU CANNOT TELL WHO'S CRAZY.

I often wonder how I would have fared prior to the 1960s. It looks like the initial stages of President Obama's administration are going to afford me the opportunity to find out.

Those of you who are inclined to see all these racist expressions as people just blowing off steam, need to know American history, and then understand something about people like me. I grew up in an environment that pioneered the "shock and awe." We invented the pre-emptive strike. Words could cost you your life, and the empty threat was an anomoly. If I had any reason to believe that you might mean me harm, then you were in danger of being shut completely down. "We don't start fights. We finish them." Period. People played for keeps (I'm told they still do), and in that environment I treaded very carefully, fought very hard, and second-guessed nothing. "Don't start nothin', won't be nothin'." That was the inner-city bumper sticker.

Then I left urban warfare and went to work for the DOD, where I was paid to kill. A PR guy would prefer the verb "defend," but we never used stun guns, tear gas or rubber bullets. We used Berettas, M-16s, M203 grenade launchers, L.A.W.s, M-60s. Tools that would tear a hole the size of a cash register in you, if it left anything at all. Close quarters unarmed combat was about tracheas, temples, solar plexus, groin. necks, eye-gouges. Ergo, I was paid to kill. Even after my tour I had intended to join the Treasury, but my vision is atrocious, so I was ineligible.

My point is, on a DNA, muscle-memory level, from informal to formal training, my response to threats of verbal or physical natures is finalizing and absolute. I don't f--k with anyone, but I do not underestimate, I do not box, nor do I take lightly the security of my wife, daughters, and family.

And I am not Martin Luther Gandhi. God ain't through with me yet. Nor is He likely to be through with me in the next 8 years.

As a consequence, those non-blacks who are decent and moral human beings who mean well, are going to have to flash their "friendly" badges a lot more quickly now than before; the anti-Obama antagonism of the day has inclined me to peg all unknowns as hostiles, until evidence dictates otherwise. It's a safety measure. It's a habit. It's a reversion to the old me. As is often said in urban church circles, "I haven't been saved all my life." (Note the subtext)

If I still sound paranoid to you, then try this perspective on for size. We've seen a number of 'impossibles' in the last 8 years: New York was bombed, a corporation stole ALL of its employees' 401Ks, a city full of people drowned, the financial market crashed, the Vice President shot a man in the face for no reason and walked, and a black man became president.

In this context, a wave of racists taking pot shots at people who look like me on the highway, or at my house, or in public (hello Columbine and Virginia Tech?) doesn't sound that outlandish. Especially in states like Texas, where I am.

Hence, my President's honeymoon period has worn off more quickly than I anticipated, and my alter-ego, who I hoped could stay in retirement, may prove useful to me once again. I hope that I wind up being wrong. That hope, however, will produce absolutely no hesitation in me to act, if need be. The late James Byrd of Jasper, Texas would concur. Therefore I say to those, and with regard to those, who have assumed the role of antagonist:

"You're gonna get everything you want ... I just wonder if you want what you're gonna get." - "G.I. Jane"

"Anyone who impinges on America's freedom ... Someone must bring their war to them. They bomb a church, we bomb 10. They hijack a plane, we take out an airport. They execute an American tourist, we tactically nuke an entire city. Our job is to make terrorism so horrific that is becomes unthinkable to attack Americans." - "Swordfish"

"It is too late to regret in the face of action. Let an opponent graze your skin and you smash into his flesh; let an opponent smash into your flesh and you fracture his bone; let an opponent fracture your bone and you take his life." - Bruce Lee

"I swear to God, if I even feel somebody behind me, there is no measure to how fast and how hard I will bring this fight to your door step." - "The Bourne Identity"

Minus the unjust suffering of innocents (lame rationalizations be damned), when it comes to my personal borders, and the safety and security of both my loved ones and myself, I know no other way to think. There will be peace, or there will be war. Black and white. Binary.

Your choice.

Congratulations, Mr. President. You have my allegiance, sir, so long as righteousness be your compass, and I will not only stand, but move, against all enemies.

Foreign and domestic.

Canvassing on Election Day in Marietta, Ohio

Llysse Smith Wylle — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 16:04:25 EST

I canvassed in Marietta, Ohio on Election Day, having voted a couple weeks ago. I somehow doubt I was the most effective of volunteers. I was on foot, so I walked and knocked. I'd never done this before, and seeing as how I hate to be bothered by this sort of thing myself, it made me rather uncomfortable to do it to someone else. However, I did look carefully for no trespassing or no soliciting signs, and I didn't find any at my assigned houses. I left at 10 am and only returned to headquarters by a little after 2.

I was not really surprised by the amount of activity that was going on in the field office. Apparently, that amazing energy is endemic to Obama campaign offices. As I recall, the total number of volunteers I saw posted "on the big board" later in the day was 64. That's rather a lot for a small town like Marietta. The amount of food donated to and by the volunteers was staggering, and it occurred to me that in some ways the funds raised for the campaign were probably higher if you were to factor in all the quiches and ham sandwiches and hummus and pizza and fruit and everything else that must have been donated to all the folks working such long hours to get Obama elected.

Luckily, it was a beautiful day in Southeastern Ohio on November 4, and that heartened me... not just because I was myself outside working, but because I was given to understand that good weather favors democratic turnout, and Ohio was important. I had logged in to the Obama-Biden website to see if there was anything local in West Virginia to volunteer for, but the closest thing I could find was in Ravenswood--too, too far. Plus, I knew Ohio to be one of the most important states. McCain was focusing on Pennsylvania, but he really had little chance of winning it. According to Nate Silver of 538, if McCain lost Ohio, the model showed a 0% chance of his pulling off a win.

With that in mind, I couldn't bear the idea of sitting at home on election day only to hear later that Obama lost by only a few votes if I could have made a difference. (As it turned out, of course, the vote was close in Ohio, but not THAT close.)

At any rate, I rode into town with my husband (who works in Marietta), and presented myself at the field office. There was a short training session, and we were out the door with a list of registered democrats we were to encourage to get out to vote. We should make certain they knew where their polling place was, as apparently these had changed, although how recently I don't know. I get the impression it wasn't too recently, but if these are voters that don't get out to vote too often, I suppose they could be confused. We even had a hotline number to call if they needed a ride to the polls. The lines in our area seemed to be short.

I started my "turf" near the downtown along the river. The neighborhood was a poor one, but pretty in the way things can be in a river city like Marietta. Not long ago the whole area was flooded. Was that three years ago? Most of downtown was under water, so this area would have been, too. There were quite a few empty lots, and I wondered if there had previously been houses there that had been taken down.

In the distance, dogs barked, and I was occasionally showered with the leaves of sugar or silver maples. I couldn't locate the first address; many of the houses here had no numbers. I guessed and knocked several times, but there was no answer. I left the hanger on the door. It showed the polling times and the democratic slate of candidates. Several dogs peered at me warily through curtains.

The next place was a townhouse; an older gentleman politely informed me he had already voted for McCain. I was here to speak with his wife. "She's not well enough to vote," he said.

"I'm sorry to hear that," I responded, and left, wishing him a good day. I marked the conversation down on my slip of paper.

I was wearing on Obama shirt with a button of my own I had purchased in Chillicothe at the rally; they'd also given me a "Canvasser" button with the O logo. I had a clipboard and a manila envelope full of collaterals, as well as a little map of the territory, and my script. I suppose I was as official looking as one could get.

The next stop was a garage apartment, decked out for halloween. I knocked the door, and an old man with rheumy eyes opened the door. He wore an oxygen mask, and generally looked to be in poor health.

"Are you the nurse?" he asked in a weak voice.

"No," I said. I gave him my name and explained I was volunteering with the Obama Campaign for Change in Marietta, according to the script. He was not the person I was there to see; I was looking for a woman of approximately my age. I explained who I was there to see and asked if she was available.

"Yes," he said, and asked me in, ushering me past several tiny barking dogs into a tiny room. I carefully stepped over the tubes that hooked him to his oxygen, although it seemed to me the dogs just barrelled across. There were two worn and lopsided armchairs, and he motioned me into one.

"Im waiting for the nurse," he repeated in a shaky, friendly voice. I had rather expected him to call for his daughter--I presumed it was likely his daughter's name I had. However, he seemed a little confused. Poor old guy.

The smell of the house was reminiscent of the my Grandpa Shock's house, when he was ill with parkinson's disease. A WWII hero, he'd lived alone in his little house in Webster Springs for years, visited quite loyally by his sister Columbia. Occasionally, the family would hire people to come in and help him, but this always turned out badly. He had things stolen many times, unable to even get out of his wheelchair on bad days. Grandpa Shock.

I looked into the eyes of the old man in front of me, and he reminded me of my grandpa in some indefinable way. His skin was greyish, and I glanced at his nails, but I couldn't see how cyantotic they might be. I hoped the nurse would come.

I smiled encouragingly. "Do you have a way to get to the polls and vote?" I asked.

He did, he said. He rattled off a rambling list of all the things that would be happening today. He mentioned the nurse again, twice more.

"Oh, my! Sounds like you have a full day!" I remarked. I felt awkward. Maybe I should ask if his daughter was available again.

From the room behind me, the refrigerator kicked on, loudly. I looked back, and there was a woman at a little table pushed up against a wall, sitting at a computer. I raised my voice to ask if she was the person I was looking for, and she said she was.

I smiled again and stood, repeating the introductory remarks of my script in a casual way.

"I can tell you now you're in the wrong house," she said with an edge to her voice. "I'll never vote for a nigger." She pronouced it "nagger," and stood looking at me with crossed arms and challenge on her face.

As I said, she was approximately my age. White, as you may have guessed. She was overweight, and her long, fine hair was straight and dirty blonde, pulled casually back from her face with some plastic contraption that its silkiness would doubtless always have it slipping out of, as it was now. My hair is the same way. Her shirt had a hole in the shoulder; many of mine have holes. There are just other things to spend money on when the holes are small enough.

I was surprised by my lack of reaction, to be honest. Normally such things would have me fuming with outrage, but instead I was just instantly sorry for her. I instantly felt TRUE and DEEP pity. I'm sure it must have shown on my face, and it wasn't what she was expecting either, because her confident, belligerent stance faltered.

"I'm sorry," I said honestly.

She tossed her head, not meeting my eyes, and a lank piece of hair escaped its clasp. "I'm not voting for McCain either. I've been a democrat all my life. I don't have no one to vote for this year. I'm not voting," she asserted.

"It's all right," I said. Her father said he had a little oxygen tank he could take with him in the car.

I cleared my throat. "If you change your mind and decide to vote, the polls close at 7:30, and if you're in line by then, they have to let you." I made sure she knew where her polling place was, and wished her well.

The old man rose to let me out, and his jumble of tubes jumbled, and the dogs all jumped and barked, and the television in the little room blathered on with some sort of talk show. One dog got stepped on as the woman tried to step aside and it yelped and ran in a circle, upsetting some papers. I gave it a pat, wished them a good day, again, and left.

It was sunny outside, but I had the illusion of clouds. She had no intention of voting for Obama, even to help her poor, ailing father, whose greatest concern was apparently when his nurse would come.

Well, I think [health care] should be a right for every American. In a country as wealthy as ours, for us to have people who are going bankrupt because they can't pay their medical bills -- for my mother to die of cancer at the age of 53 and have to spend the last months of her life in the hospital room arguing with insurance companies because they're saying that this may be a pre-existing condition and they don't have to pay her treatment--there's something fundamentally wrong about that.

Perhaps I should have argued with her, or pointed out that the healthcare plan could help them. However, I don't think so. My job was to get people who were voting for Obama to the polls, not to try to convince non-supporters. However, it made me sad.

On Greene Street, perhaps an hour or so later, some random hater threw a stone at me from a car. A few minutes beforehand, someone had driven by, screaming "McCain!" I have to think the same vehicle circled back to throw the stone, although I didn't really see it either time. With the screaming, it wasn't really worth my while. With the stone, I have to say I was just a bit stunned, and it took me thrity seconds or so to realize what had happened. That doesn't really sound like a long time, but really it's long enough to drive away and lose yourself in traffic seeing as how I wasn't on the ball enough to be paying attention.

I am presuming the stone came from the same car that screamed at me. They were so close together. And after all, not many people drive along with stones in their cars, so it would have to be sort of premeditated. I would guess they drove off to an alley or whatever and came back to throw it. It seems like it was only a few minutes apart.

In any case, they didn't come close to hitting me, and frankly I wasn't so much scared as flabbergasted. It landed in front of me, and I thought, "Where did that fall from?" not connecting it with the screeching tires and laughter from the passing car. By the time I realized what had happened and thought to look for the car, it was either gone or I just didn't know which one it was amonst the various cars that had passed. (In fact it rather reminded me of the episode of The Andy Griffith Show called "Opie and the Spoiled Kid," in which Barnie is berating a "civilian" for not being able to identify which little kid it was that knocked her off her feet riding his bike on the sidewalk when he himself is knocked down by the same kid. All Barnie can exclaim is "Garsh, it happened so fast!")

I had to walk by McCain headquarters twice--it's located not far from Obama headquarters in the downtown. The forst time was 10-ish when I left, and there didn't seem to be anyone there, although the door was open. (I am presuming there were people working inside.) The second time, there were two old guys standing outside, and they smiled kindly at me. I smiled back.

There was a McCain standee. Strangely, the photo used for this life-sized prop wasn't very flattering. He looked like a sort of hunched up old guy with a vague-ish smile on his face. I've seen heroic-looking photos of JM before. What was with that? It looked to be "official" campaign stuff. Whose fault was that photo? I don't get it. I don't think the collaterals were managed very well.

I had lunch at the field office, and went back out after, this time with a driver, as I was going further afield. My legs ached. I never ran into another racist, or another stone-throwing McCain supporter. Of course, it helps to be with someone, too. And in a car.

I did speak to several other people who were enthusiastic in their support, and received for the most part lots of smiles and waves and beeps of (what I presumed to be) appreciation. I take short beeps to be appreciative. They seem more polite than laying on the horn. Mostly I got smiles and waves and thumbs up.

At one McMansion, however, there were three laborers outside roofing the house. The yard had an Obama sign in it, but the residents were out. Perhaps they were voting, or they could have been at work. There was still literature on the door from the first pass at the house (we were making three passes at each house until we got an "I voted" or an "I'm not a supporter" or a "Moved," for example).

As we were leaving to go to our next area, I smiled at the folks working there and made some comment to the effect that it was a nice day for working outside.

"We're not from around here," one guy said forcefully, giving his pants a yank up, "but we're planning on voting several times on the way home since we registered through ACORN."

"Gosh, you have a fake passport or fake drivers licenses that will pass muster with ALL those election officials for THAT many identities?" I asked pleasantly, and he looked confused. He didn't say anything else. Evidently he was a low information voter.

At the end of the day, I was exhausted, and my husband actually treated me to Las Trancas on the way home. I love Mexican food. When we got home that evening it was already dark. I felt sorry for the chickens, who had spent the entire day locked in the coop. It was for a good cause, ladies. Also, I suspect Robin has been hiding her eggs somewhere, so I don't suppose it will hurt to try keeping her in the coop one day to encourage her to use the nests again.

We tuned in the TV that night, since the I-net has been frustratingly out. NEVER GET WILD BLUE. It was staticky, but as I have mentioned before, we should be able to get a channel (weakly) until February.

Then we watched as the electoral votes rolled in for Obama.

I loved when Ohio was called. I screamed. I squeezed Alan's hand too hard. He gave me a dirty look, and I didn't care. Matt called. I screamed, "I know I justsaw canyoubelieveitohmygodsIwishI couldcheck538!"

I didn't understand why they didn't call it then. I understand that on Fox news, Karl Rove was in the middle of explaining how McCain would have to win Ohio, and was interrupted with the information that Ohio had gone to Obama. Rove, Buch, McCain, Palin: that moment is courtesy of all of those people you don't care about--all those people whose civil liberties you were so anxious to take away. Did you feel your heart drop? That wasn't our aim, I assure you. We were trying to get Senator Obama elected. However, please do think of us in the future, as it may save you further heartache.

And please think of that poor, sick old man on the oxygen tanks in that little garage apartment near the Ohio River. Even if his daughter didn't vote for President-Elect Obama, I hope they still benefit by what he brings to this country... and I hope that in four years she can see that she has someone to vote for after all.

It occurred to me that I encountered the McCain campaign in its fullness in just that one day in Ohio, in microcosm. I encountered the racism your campaign was drumming up, the crazy ACORN charges, the terrorism fears and violence (which I associate with the stone throwing)--it ran the gamut. I also encountered Obama supporters who were excited, who talked about change, who ranged in age from just 18 to retired and poor to rich. Most of the people I spoke to had already voted, but I hope I was able to help remind some to vote that perhaps would not otherwise have bothered.

One lady was so excited nabout voting for Obama that she even took me next door to show me the homemade sign her neighbor had made and put in his yard.

"It's so pretty," she said. And it was. It simply said "Barack Obama." The letters were simple and black, but the background was all the colors of the rainbow.

"He did that himself," she said.

We all did. Yes, we did.

http://www.youtube.com/v/jxmw7-8F1QQ&hl

it worked!

Peter Jorgensen — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 09:07:28 EST

I feel good about taking the time yesterday (Election Day) to knock on some doors of total strangers in a neighborhood to which I have never gone. I was greatly encouraged by the number of Obama supporters in this "third world" neighborhood of Tallahassee, Florida. (If you don't think Florida (and other states) have third-world neighborhoods I'll take you on a tour sometime.) Make no mistake, there is still some residual racism which we must work hard to "love out of existance." I strongly believe that an overall improvement in the condition of all Americans, especially the poor, will go a great way towards erasing the fear, anger and prejudice that still lingers here. I believe the next four years will see a good start towards that goal.

A Beautiful Moment

Carlos E. C�rdenas — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 23:56:43 EST

It is a beautiful moment for African Americans tonight. It's a moment to cherish in US history.

Voter intimidation and suppression reported in North St. Louis County. Missori

RK — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 11:29:41 EST

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/11/4/9578/77830/635/652289

The National Republican Trust and the Politics of Hate

Jedidiah Palosaari — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 17:31:37 EST

Depending on where you live, you're spared this. For this election cycle, and most, I've been on the West Coast. Washington and California are solidly blue, so we don't get a lot of election ads. In Washington, we were excited and surprised to even get visits from the Democratic candidates in the primaries, as usually our caucus is too late. But now I've moved to Wisconsin, and evidently everything has changed.

Wisconsin isn't really a swing state anymore either, but it was recently. That allows us to get the occasional campaign ad, and a lot of the 527 ads. And recently, about three times an hour, we get treated to a particular ad from the National Republican Trust.

Don't get me wrong. I might disagree with a political ad, but of course, I support the right to post them. It is when they lie, and get vicious, and attack other people's culture and race. And make no mistake, this is what the National Republican Trust has done.

The ad is a direct attack on the Reverend Wright, and Senator Obama. It is vicious and underhanded. As I've pointed out in the past, Wright is enmeshed deeply in the black tradition. His remarks weren't at all racist, but were deep in the prophetic tradition of Judaism and Christianity, as expressed in the Old Testament. Sure, he went overboard in claiming that the US government gave AIDS to blacks, but considering our history with syphilis, it wasn't that far off the mark. But in general, what the Reverend Wright said, and the way he said it, is no different from what you find in black churches across this nation.

Thus, at the very least, the continued recent attacks by the Republican Trust reveal that they know nothing of the Black Preaching Tradition. In truth, they reveal an attack on another culture, a "foreign" culture to the whites at Republican Trust. This attack is as despicable as overt racist attacks, and indeed, is difficult to distinguish from them. Blacks are okay, as long as they don't think differently from "us", or don't make us have to see their differences. They certainly have nothing to offer us in their manner of thinking, their preaching, or their style of Chrsitianity. Or so is the underlying thinking of these commercials from Republican Trust.

Well, I agree. I don't like being forced to listen to something I disagree with, that I find morally repugnant and racist. I don't expect the Republican Trust to be forced to sit in the church while Jeremiah Wright preaches. So why am I forced to watch these commercials every time they come on the air, three times an hour?

So this is what I've begun to do. Every time the commercial comes on, I contact National Republican Trust, at nationalrepublicantrust.com/contactus.html, and tell them just what I think of them. I tell them they are racist, and I want nothing to do with them. I suggest that they go somewhere else to peddle their racism, because it has no place in my home or my country, and is not something that real Americans believe.

And I invite you to do the same. Let's put a stop to this. I'm not speaking of positive commercials, or even negative ones. But the ones that are over the top, that are viscious slander or racist- start responding. Every time one of these comes on the air, contact the 527, and demand that they pull their commercial off the air. Maybe we'll begin to get through to them. At least we'll strike a blow for truth and justice, and maybe, one day, make that the American way.

Polls : America Rejects Sara Palinism, Now, and in the Future

RK — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 10:46:58 EST

Sara Palns shallowness of thought, and Mouth for War, have left Americans with deeply troubled and concerned. America is not Wasilla, and 6 out of 10 say they would not support Palin in any future national election. We've had enough, send her packing on a dogsled Wed.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/11/02/poll-palin-may-be-hurting-more-than-helping-mccain/

Connecting in New York City

Linda — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 18:06:02 EST

What an amazing experience I had on Thursday. In New York on business since Tuesday afternoon, I had stopped at a corner vendor's stand and bought what I thought was a very clever Obama button: "I'm voting for THAT ONE." McCain's snide and covertly racist comment during the debate had chapped the area where I sit and I had been so proud that Barack had continued to be gracious despite everything.

I put the button on as soon as I was done with my client meetings and immediately, a woman on the subway struck up a conversation with me. She, like me, is Anglo and we were both commenting on the appalling not-so-hidden racism being thrown about by the Republicans.

About an hour later, I walked into a restaurant to have dinner and as I was being seated, heard someone say, "Excuse me ..." I turned, and a very handsome African-American woman was gesturing for me to come to her table. There she sat with someone who appeared to be her grandmother. "Where did you get that button?" the lady asked, "I've been looking for it everywhere!"

I told her that the vendor was catty-corner from Lord & Taylor's in midtown and had plenty more.

Eating my salad, I kept having the nagging feeling that the Lord wanted me to give away the "THAT ONE" button. Finally I got up, walked over to the woman, handed her the button and said, "The Lord keeps pestering me to give you this." She jumped up and gave me a big hug, and introduced herself as Vanesse.

I looked at the older woman and asked her if she thought she would live to see this day. She smiled and shook her head and said no, but that she was glad she had. Originally from Barbados, this dear sister told me that she had lived and worked (she's a nurse) in Europe and in Canada, and that only when she arrived in the United States had she encountered such intense racism. I took her hand and opened it, palm up. I put my palm next to it and said, "I don't know why people don't understand that we're all really the same color" and I asked her what color anybody's blood was. She nodded and said yes, this was so true, but that in the U.S., it seemed that the pigmentation in someone's skin was the big issue.

Then I told her about the woman on the Obama Prayer Team who has said that Barack is anointed to lead, similar to Moses. "Thank you, Lord!" she said. Vanesse also agreed.

I was about to leave when I mentioned to Vanesse that I'd been looking for a 'Si, se puede' button since the DNC. She told me she knew where I could get one ... just across the street from Macy's in Herald Square. So we walked there together, where I bought my button and met a British woman who was buying a pin that said "Britons for Obama."

It was a wonderful and refreshing encounter and I smiled all the way back to my hotel. In fact, I'm still smiling, thinking of it today.

Si, se puede!

McCAIN : No Issues, Just Fearmongering in Pennsylvania

RK — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 13:03:43 EST

Sun Nov 02, 2008 at 01:44:52 AM PDT

Fear is all John McCain has left and he is spewing it all over Pennsylvania in a last-ditch attempt to win the state.

Also, a huge polling day for Obama in Iowa and Palin's prank call is ALL over the news.

And, the Arizona Daily Star endorses Obama.

Kula2316's diary :: ::

Rebecca Traister at Salon looks at the rampant fear mongering at McCain's rallies in Pennsylvania:

There are a "couple of hidden factors" in this election, said Specter. "The first is that people answer pollsters one way, but in the secrecy of the ballot booth, vote the other way." Yes. That is what he said, to a chorus of hopeful affirmation. Arlen Specter was openly -- in public, into a microphone -- crossing his fingers, and hoping for racism.

and:

Specter followed Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett, who had blustered about his hunting down of thousands of drug dealers and defrauders of senior citizens, as well as those people who would "go on the Internet and try to touch our children in a way that should never be allowed." It was the same kind of fear-mongering that the Republicans have been doing all over Pennsylvania in these last weeks, but on Saturday it felt more shameless, more swaggering, more exploitative of those Americans perceived as weak -- the old, the very young.

These people really are unbelievable.

::::::

And it's apparent that is all they have left. No positive messages on what John McCain can accomplish, just all anti-Obama, all the time. TPM reports on a GOP mailer claiming that electing Obama will lead to "tragic outcomes for the Jewish people."

::::::

Also in Pennsylvania, McCain is once again questioning Obama's patriotism:

"My country has never had to prove anything to me, my friends," McCain insisted at a morning rally in Springfield, Va., and again at an airport hangar here in the Philadelphia suburbs.
"I've always had faith in it and I've been humbled and honored to serve it," he added. "I haven't been vindicated by anything."

Your Message to Third Party Voters: A Vote for Obama is a Vote Against Racism

Ken — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 21:34:43 EDT

Tired of trying to convince your radical friends to vote for Obama? Tell them a vote for Barack is vote against racism, the nation's most dangerous pollutant. I'll bet that you can break through their iron-clad class arguments and strong-willed independence with the logic that voting for Barack Obama will change things more in diluting and ultimately neutralizing this poison than a wasted vote on a third-party candidate, even one of color.

OK, OK, I've heard the lines about principles and parties and people and profits. But the single most significant reason that the peoples' progress in this country has been retarded is racism. With that lethal and divisive force at the top of the agenda, even the most principled crusader, the most militant vanguard, the most revolutionary observer can toss in their polemical pride and vote big this year against the very thing that has been killing us in all past years - racism.

So tell all your friends who are thinking of voting for Nader or McKinney or any of those other folks espousing change that all they are doing is voting to keep things the same. They are enjoying the safe harbor of their pre-polarized world of which they've become accustomed to, railing about about all its iniquities. Tell them: Now is the time. Now is the chance. We can dilute this toxin that has been poisoning Ameirca from within for nearly three hundred years once and for all and set the stage for better things to come. Then these other candidates can come forward and offer their solutions. But let's destroy racism first! Vote for Obama.

Vote Early, Vote Often

MamaVic — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 21:12:51 EDT

Will Barack Obama win by a landslide and usher our nation into a new era? Will John McCain win in an upset proving we are even more imperfect a union than we’ve recently allowed ourselves to believe?

Yes, I hear the same reporting about polls that you do. Yes, Obama is heavily favored to win. But when I allow myself to imagine our nation on 11/5 if McCain wins, I am so deeply saddened that I am motivated to do all I can to support Obama’s election. If Barack Obama loses, despite being so strongly favored in the polls at this late date, there will be no way of denying that the evil power of racial hatred and fear holds our nation hostage. In that scenario, the damage caused by a McCain administration’s misguided policies pales in comparison to the tragic demoralization of our nation and loss of hope for my children’s future.

Is the nation really so post-racial that the Bradley Effect no longer exists? Are our old polling systems accurate reflections of this unique election? Will all the newly registered Democratically skewed voters really show up? Will Obama voters in the western states, which are keystones in several likely victory paths for Obama, just stay home if early east-coast returns look promising? Will old people show up in far greater numbers than young people, as is typically the case, and hand FL and PA to McCain? Will Republican Party tricksters and demons find enough ways to eliminate enough votes to swing OH red again? The US Supreme Court just stepped in earlier this month and told Ohio's Republican Party they did not have jurisdiction to enforce a federal election law in a manner that would have disenfranchised a disproportionate amount of Democratic voters. Without being too much of a conspiracy theorist, it's sadly true that our elections have been tampered with in the past and could be again.

We don’t have early voting in NY and without committing voter fraud you cannot vote more than once. But the title of this posting is sincere. I encourage you today, and everyday until the election, to dramatically increase the power of your individual vote by calling voters in swing states. If you already are making calls, fantastic. Your phone call may be enough motivation to get someone in Ohio or Colorado or Florida to make the trip to the voting booth and wait in a long line next Tuesday. The other night I hosted a group of Women for Obama to watch Obama’s infomercial and call voters in Colorado. We placed 180 calls. Of course, most voters weren’t home, didn’t answer, or didn’t live at that number, but like sales, retail campaigning is all a numbers game. Go to barackobama.com and you can call voters in a swing state and even a specific demographic that speaks to you (Senior to Senior, Women to Women, Italian to Italian…) The website walks you through step-by-step on how to place a call. I intend to call more voters over the weekend and on Monday. If you've never done it before, don't be afraid. Most people I've spoken with are friendly and understand you are a volunteer, not a telemarketer trying to sell them anything. Yeah, it feels a little weird, but think of it as your chance to vote more than once and to vote in a battleground state.

Please vote early and vote often.

Florida GOP shows their True Colors in an email

RK — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 12:59:32 EDT

I guess there is still quite a bit of ethnocentricity in the republican party as demonstrated in an email from a county GOP headquarters in Florida. What's up with some of these people ? All Americans have a right to vote, and have their vote counted, all Americans have a right to determine their representation.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/10/31/54758/404/148/647683

Resolving Your Obama Race Dilemma - How You Got It and Where To Put It

David from Houston, TX — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 12:42:16 EDT

Resolving Your Obama Race Dilemma -- How You Got it and Where to Put It

David Scheinman

Are you reluctant to vote for Obama because he is black? Hesitant to pull that lever or punch the keyboard even though his ideas and character are compelling? Do you think, if only Hillary had won I wouldn’t have this dilemma? To make matters even worse, are you hesitant to share your latent – and somewhat embarrassing -- uncomfortable feelings with others? Did you grow up in the 1940’s, 50’s or 60’s? If so, your feelings are perfectly understandable, especially if you grew up in a home where equality wasn’t taught. Have you always thought you were an open minded person, yet here you are, surprisingly reluctant to vote for Obama?

Where Were the Black Professionals When You Were Growing Up?

How many black professionals did you encounter growing up? Doctors? Dentists? TV reporters? Police and firemen? Managers? Lawyers? How many black kids were your classmates? Neighbors? Did you meet black kids at summer camp? Did you know that President Woodrow Wilson segregated the federal work force in 1913? And that it and the armed forces were legally segregated until Harry Truman issued two executive orders on July 26, 1948? Did you know that Truman’s now famous low approval ratings in 1948 – before Korea and firing Macarthur -- were due partially to his civil rights activism? Truman was furious when he learned in 1946 that Isaac Woodard, a black serviceman in uniform, returning home from the war, was blinded by a beating inflicted by police in South Carolina. His bus driver complained that Woodard caused trouble by asking the driver to stop so he could relieve himself. Besides that, Truman was the first president to address the NAACP in 1947.

Did you have relatives who told you blacks were dumb, lazy, and good for nothing? That’s what an uncle told my good friend Dennis in Tennessee in the 1950’s. When Dennis came home and told his mom he met the niggers, his school teacher mom was furious. She set Dennis straight and banned the uncle from her home. Dennis clearly remembers being taken around a poor black community and receiving the racist indoctrination from his uncle. “Dennis, these are niggers, and this is how they live. “ If his mom hadn’t sternly told him his uncle was full of crap, Dennis could be experiencing a similar dilemma. Dennis wound up marrying a black woman. They have three adorable teenage girls and are still married.

My mom drummed equality into my soft head. In the 1950’s my mom told me about a black singer named Marian Anderson who was not allowed to perform in Washington’s Constitution Hall in 1939 by its owners, the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) , because she was black. It was one of the earliest incidents that brought racial discrimination to our attention. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt invited Anderson to perform in front of the Lincoln Memorial. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQnzb0Jj074 ?

She was introduced by Secretary of the Interior Harold Ickes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYZoeMKkxkg&feature=related

Where We Were and Where We Are Today -- From Slavery to Obama

Due to many factors, the black people you encountered growing up were probably maids, factory hands, garbage men, and laborers. They lived in segregated run down communities on the wrong side of the tracks. They spoke funny slang, hung around together, ate weird foods like collard greens, weren’t seen at the restaurants your folks ate in – except as busboys and waiters – BUT they were easily identified by their color.

So how did all this happen, and why in 2008 is our society suddenly chock-a -block with black professionals? Go to any school now and you will see black teachers, administrators, and principals – not just janitors. Go shopping and you will meet black supervisors. Buy a car, insurance, or clothes and you will often see black personnel. Turn on your TV and there is a black anchor or expert being interviewed in his area of expertise, which is not race relations.

And most intriguingly, why did many African students studying here in the 1980’s and 90’s return to Africa and tell me they had more white friends than black ones on campus? Why were black Africans readily accepted into white social circles when black Americans were either excluded or segregated themselves into all black dorms?

To get to the bottom of this, and to get you off the hook, let’s return to how black people wound up living on the wrong side of the tracks and how in 2008, many more of them are your neighbors or workmates. What in world changed? Why do kids of all colors in my son’s high school eat lunch together in 2008?

Blacks were the only group that came here involuntarily, in chains. They were captured by rival black tribesmen and sold to Arabs who subsequently sold them to slave dealers. Coming from different tribes, most of the slaves couldn’t even communicate with each other in a common language. Thousands of slaves from all over Africa converged in the American south and didn’t even share a common language or history. They were ripped away from their familiar world and, unlike prisoners of war, couldn’t even talk to each other initially. They weren’t allowed to learn how to read, write, or even swim.

They eventually had kids, but these kids could never be taught the legends or stories that make up a culture. They lacked the fundamental accouterments of culture that include shared beliefs, art, language, institutions, manners, dress, religion, rituals, and so forth. All they knew was the plantation and their narrow world. So when freed from slavery in 1865, they had no skills, capital, land, or even literacy. Their real culture was agriculture – plus what they created as slaves. They had the slang they created and, of course, each other. Since whites gave them few responsibilities, they developed few skills and consequently had the reputation of being lazy, shiftless, and dumb. They learned to believe they were inferior -- and often reinforced that stereotype by acting commensurately.

Imagine for a moment how that gets into your head. Most of what we become as adults is tattooed onto our soft brains as toddlers. My mom used examples to teach me that all people were equal. Having the term inferior branded onto your character often relegates a person to life’s junk heap. Ambition and dreams are snuffed out. People who define themselves as being not good or smart enough just shuffle along life’s paths. They don’t feel they can succeed, so often don’t even try.

If you think the effects of slavery and segregation have vanished, you are wrong. I recently chatted with a racially mixed mom – her dad was white mom black – at a football game both our kids were playing in. We started chatting about where we were from. She was from Louisiana so I asked about segregation in the 1950’s.

“My dad made me lay down on the rear floor of our car when we stopped to eat. I wasn’t allowed to go inside so he’d buy my favorite food and bring it to our car.” So imagine growing up and not being allowed to have a fun vacation meal with our parents on the way your Florida vacation. From the day she was born, society told her she wasn’t good enough to enter public facilities in her home state. And do these feelings trickle down to her 16 year old son in 2008? Probably.

After slavery ended, blacks had freedom FROM, not freedom TOO. Since they had no access to the adequately funded schools we white kids attended by the accidents of our births, they never learned the essential survival and social skills we white kids acquired naturally. Their segregated educations were inferior; they were banned from attending the flagship state universities in the south until 1962 when James Meredith was escorted to class at the University of Mississippi by federal marshals.

During the hundred years from emancipation in 1863 to 1962, black people just shuffled around generally carrying out jobs immigrants perform today. Consequently they banded together for community and self preservation. They lived in segregated communities, founded black churches and over 100 black universities and colleges, developed their own way of speaking English, and lived in an inferior parallel society.

Results of School Integration and the Civil and Voting Rights Acts Are Huge

The civil rights movement sprung out of the black churches in the 50’s and 60’s. This led, after much bloodshed, to the civil and voting rights bills being passed in the mid 1960’s. Prior to the voting rights act of 1965, many blacks were excluded from voting due to poll taxes, literacy tests, and residency requirements that were applied only to black voters, particularly in the south. That was barely two generations ago! When the Civil and Voting Rights bills were passed in 1964 and 65 and the Supreme Court ruled segregation was unconstitutional in 1954, the doors of limited privilege began to creak open.

As these doors opened in the 1950’s and 60’s, blacks began slowly entering mainstream society. In the 1970’s and 80’s we began seeing black reporters on TV and some blacks were featured in TV commercials. More and more black faces were seen on college campuses. Yes, many felt insecure and kept to themselves. Many had congenital inferiority complexes caused by lying on the floors of cars and being banned from selected business and public places, like bath rooms and schools. They also knew from their parents that keeping a low profile was a survival skill. Who wanted to wind up lynched like Emmet Till?

Now, just 46 years after James Meredith integrated Ole Miss, 20% of the student population there is composed of students from minority groups. Most surprisingly and positively, the university sponsored the prestigious first presidential debate this season. And who could have imagined in 1962 that this would occur and that one of the major candidates would be black? Black professionals are in every profession and serve all customers, not just blacks.

Beneath Our Radar, Dynamic Shifts are Taking Place in Schools Today

Folks my age just shake our heads in bewildered awe. It happened again yesterday at another football game on a glorious afternoon. I chatted with a well dressed white woman – native Houstonian -- from an oil services company.

As helmets loudly cracked on the field, we discussed Obama and, more importantly, how much racial mixing there was at both our high schools. She was astonished that her son once dated a black girl without the slightest sense of scandal or tittle-tattle. According to her son, kids of all colors shared lunch table in the cafeteria, and there was no racial tension. She was also astounded that these changes were occurring out of the blue and beneath her radar.

My son’s school is 30 percent each black, brown, white, and 10 percent Asian. They hang around together, enjoy the same lousy music, and don’t cluster in segregated groups. Looking at the legs of the football players from the stands provides a vision of the new America – every shade of human color is represented. It is the same watching 3000 kids as they stream out of school in the afternoon, chattering away in diverse groups. And when I ask my son about racism – he is mixed – he sighs and says “Dad that is such an old school question.” I don’t even ask any more.

Black accents are fading as more and more blacks enter mainstream society and worry more about their job prospects, portfolios, and retirements than racism. Parents of racially mixed kids (me) are dumbfounded and thrilled that the racism I anticipated when my little girl was born in 1986 never materialized. Problems arose more from selected black peers who felt there should be black solidarity. Like my African friends experienced, the racism came from the blacks, not the whites.

This occurred amongst some old-school Blacks when Obama initially declared his candidacy. Some blacks felt because he didn’t grow up in the ghetto he wasn’t a legitimate black person. They slowly came around, but initially there was much skepticism and resentment. Finally many realized that their sacrifices paved the way for an Obama to emerge.

Relax, Your Racial Dilemma is Normal

But you are still reluctant to vote for him. I understand. When you were growing up and learning how the world worked, blacks weren’t your peers at all. They did the mindless drudge and dirty work. They were aliens; a visible underclass. And because of their color – unlike similarly unschooled working class whites – they were easily identified. Hence, it was normal to chant, “Eeny meeny miney moe, catch a nigger by the toe.” Or to ask, “How far did you chase a nigger for that tie?” Then there were those familiar playground terms from the popular song “Colored Spade” 1960’s musical Hair. I’m a Colored spade, a nigger, black nigger, jungle bunny Jigaboo, coon, Pickaninny, mau mau,
Uncle Tom, Aunt Jemima, Little Black Sambo, Cotton pickin, 'Swamp guinea, junk man, Shoeshine boy,
Elevator operator, Table cleaner at Horn & Hardart, Slave, voodoo, Zombie, Ubangi lipped,
Flat nose, Tap dancin' Resident of Harlem…”

When you saw a fellow white person, you had no idea who he was, where he came from, or what he stood for, especially if he dressed appropriately. There were many poor whites, but their skin bestowed immunity on them. They blended in and did not have the stigma of coming to America as involuntary slaves. No one owned their great grandparents.

Since your impression of blacks was forged prior to blacks entering mainstream society, those old programs are still running in the background of your brain. And that is as normal as all the other values you picked up as a kid like rooting for your favorite sports team, liking a certain food, or knowing hard work is a virtue. You grew up seeing black people as chronic underachievers. Of course many were. They had no access to the institutions you accessed due to the lucky accident of your birth.

It Is Class, Not Color

These negative ideas do not automatically make you a racist. Now I’ll demonstrate that you really aren’t racist after all. When I quizzed African students who studied here, some mentioned that American blacks often gave them an ultimatum. Don’t hang out with whites. Choose us or them! If you hang out with whites you will not be welcome in our black society. A black girlfriend I had in 1979 when in grad school received the same treatment from her black peers. “Why are you dating a white boy? Aren’t we good enough?

It eventually dawned on me that racism was a socioeconomic phenomenon. And people were “racist” only because blacks stood out like sore thumbs due to their color. But why were Africans welcomed into white society, why did they readily accept the friendship of their white peers, and why didn’t they care about the threats they received from black Americans? One Somali friend of mine even hung out at a redneck country bar in Michigan where he was the only black person. He went because he liked the music and it was the easiest place to pick up girls. “And the redneck guys?” I asked. “I was polite, sized up the situation, wasn’t pushy, and gradually got to know everyone and became a regular. No one cared that I went home with white girls. They even asked around if I missed a few days.”

Soon I realized that the Africans were middle to upper class kids who had much more in common with middle to upper class white kids on campus than they did with black students who grew up in poor segregated communities . It was culture that mattered, not color. The Africans never defined people by color. They discriminated instead by tribe. Where they came from, everyone was black. Consequently they had little in common with black American students, aside from their shared skin color. The American blacks were yet another alien tribe to them – and a subservient one at that! Color counted for nothing, just like white skin is not the number one catalyst for white bonding.

The Africans were never denied anything in their home countries due to race. So they naturally hung out with their social class peers, white middle class kids. Few reported any racial problems in the 15-20 years I posed the question. They knew some of their most brutal repressive dictators, like Idi Amin from Uganda and Mengistu from Ethiopia, were black.

Now You Can Vote For Barack

And your perceived racism? A myth. You just want to hang out with your peers and don’t want to spend time with people you have little in common with. Since African students and white kids shared a common class background, they were well matched -- far better than black Americans whose criteria for friendship were based on shared discrimination and color. Black Americans and black Africans shared little in common at all, just pigment. Hence the reluctance of the African students to be friends with them just because they shared a common color.

Back to Barack. You are attracted to him. You like his message of hope. You admire how he took withering fire over Reverend Wright and survived. He is battle tested. You also recognize that McCain clumsily stumbles from issue to issue and has a weak grasp of economics. He said the fundamentals of our economy were strong, and then abruptly reversed himself just fours later. You like Obama’s choice for vice-president and think McCain used poor judgment and acted impulsively and irresponsibly when he chose Sarah Palin. You thought when McCain suspended his campaign it was a gimmick. You worry about your retirement, yet McCain offers no solutions. And you know you would vote for Obama in a heartbeat if only he were white.

Obama is black. But he is a 2008 Black man, not a 1948 model. But after just two generations of many blacks having access to the same institutions we attend, look what happened. In an amazingly short time, racism is vanishing from our kids. There are black professionals in every field. And that was just what Lyndon Johnson and civil rights leaders hoped for and anticipated in the 1960’s when the civil and voting rights bills were passed. The idea was that once the doors of opportunity were thrown open to all citizens, discrimination and racism would slowly fade away. And that is exactly what is happening in many of our schools today. Johnson also predicted that his civil rights legislation would set the Democratic Party back at least 25 years. He was absolutely right. The republicans capitalized on white resentment. Nixon’s southern strategy in 1968 was a wink and an approving nod to the racists. The message was, we understand your resentment towards civil rights legislation, and we support you. The South then flipped from voting democratic since reconstruction, to voting for the party of Lincoln, the GOP.Due to Supreme Court decisions and congressional legislation, blacks are represented in all professions. Black people have been elected as mayors of major cities since the1960’s. And now a black candidate is running for president.&nbs

Resolving Your Obama Race Dilemma - How You Got It and Where To Put It

David from Houston, TX — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 12:42:16 EDT

Resolving Your Obama Race Dilemma -- How You Got it and Where to Put It

David Scheinman

Where Were the Black Professionals When You Were Growing Up?

She was introduced by Secretary of the Interior Harold Ickes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYZoeMKkxkg&feature=related

Where We Were and Where We Are Today -- From Slavery to Obama

Results of School Integration and the Civil and Voting Rights Acts Are Huge

Beneath Our Radar, Dynamic Shifts are Taking Place in Schools Today

Relax, Your Racial Dilemma is Normal

It Is Class, Not Color

Now You Can Vote For Barack

David Scheinman

tanga4@yahoo.com

Available for Distribution:

www.tashi48.wordpress.com

Please copy and distribute to all wavering voters.

Civil War II?

Virginia Small Business Owner — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 19:36:32 EDT

Before I get into a very serious concern, I have to ask, who came up with the name "Civil War" anyway? It's such an inappropriate name for what, in truth, are deeply divisive, rending descructive actions against one's own....

Anyway, here goes...

The French have a saying, "Never two, without three." It basically states that all things come in threes.

During this election, I've had literally hundreds of conversations with people of all walks of life, all religions, and many ethnic groups. I've talked to Jews and Palestinians, blacks and whites, business owners, unemployed workers, and even some political commentators (soon to be unemployed). With those hundreds of people came hundreds of opinions, the most unique of which I usually dismissed as "one man's opinion". But when three people I talk to say ultimately the same thing, well, that tells me there are others of like mind out there as well.

Today was strike three.

I had a contractor working on my roof and ceiling today, and spoke to him about the upcoming election as I do everyone. This was a white contractor whose livelihood has been somewhat threatened by day workers and who has developed sufficient evidence from the experiences in his own life to inform him that certain ethnic groups are prone to criminal behavior more than others. There was no point in fighting with him on this, however untrue it may have been. It was his experience. But what concerned me more was his fear. It matched almost exactly what I've heard from others whom I consider otherwise sensible and logical.

They fear that an Obama Presidency will put them in physical danger due to the release of pent up tensions from black oppression.

Yup. A black man gets elected and the riots break out. The criminal aspect of oppressed people would come forward, unchecked.

They ALL said it with a straight face. They're genuinely concerned. People who love their kids. People who go to church, who work for a living, people who otherwise make logical choices. They are in fear.

I tried to come up with logical responses. I mentioned Barack's Father's Day speech (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/06/15/obamas-fathers-day-speech_n_107220.html). Of course, they hadn't seen it or heard it. Barack has no problem calling on his "own" people to honor their heritage in how they act.

I've often said that people expect from others what they would do themselves, but I didn't get that sense here either.

So how do I best communicate to these folks that there's nothing to fear?

The Ashley Todd incident didn't help (http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iidrMKZwVNDDlEtkssY6t1xxhg9QD94169T80). In fact, I can't help but wonder if it wasn't designed to reach these very people.

I would love to hear commentary on two things... have you come across people with these views? And if so, what have you said, if anything, that's worked?

I look forward to seeing your responses.

McCain: Off the Rails

Jedidiah Palosaari — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 12:30:45 EDT

In an amazing rally today, the McCain campaign showed that it was running off the rails completely. At one point he began to tell his audience something, and then decided, "Never mind." At a pivotal moment, he called for Michael - I mean "Joe the Plumber", to come on stage, and then learned that Joe wasn't actually at the rally. And then, in the middle of his speech, he said something that sounds a bit like, "abrgjik". I kid you not. Listen to the speech. I replayed it a few times, because it sounded so very odd. It sounded like suddenly, he was speaking the language of an outer space alien. Which frankly, raises far too many truly frightening scenarios for me to contemplate.

And yet, for all of these rhetorical errors, that was not the most glaring nor revolting mistake of the speech. In McCain's bid to try to make American tax law, McCain's past policies, and Obama all sound socialist, McCain is now bringing up an old radio interview of Obama's, where Obama also used the R-word- redistribution. But here's where McCain has entered truly dangerous waters.

In this interview, Obama very clearly is speaking of the legacy of slavery. He speaks of how the civil rights movement lead to freedom for blacks, and the right to vote, but didn't redistribute income- and this still remains to be done. He speaks of mistakes the founding fathers made- as everyone acknowledges who has any understanding of the ammendment process in the US constitution. This is of course particularly true with ammendments like the 14th.

I recognize that some conservatives feel that everything is now right with the world, between races, and in regards to civil rights. I suspect- I hope- that those conservatives are a minority even among conservatives. Most recognize that one of the horrible legacies of slavery has been lingering racism and a continued relegation of the majority of blacks to the lower economic classes. Beyond that, there is the slightly more controversial proposal of compensation for slavery. After all, not only was there the broken promise of "40 acers and a mule", but all the wealth in terms of human productivity that was stolen from African lands, and stolen from the Africans themselves, made into slaves. To date there has been no true payment to those defrauded by the American government and American people. But the proposal is not so controversial that is has not been considered by the American Congress at times.

Some combination of these issues is what Obama was obviously referring to in his radio interview. From the context, I suspect that it was more of the former- establishing economic parity between the races in America, to remove the blemish and stain of slavery that shackles us all- rather than the more touchy issue of compensation. He was trying to seek a more just society, and make up for the wrongs that America has perpetrated on her citizens of colour.

And this...this is what McCain was referring to today in his speech, when he said that Obama was being socialist.

Before McCain denigrates calls for racial equality, it might be helpful for him to remember the immortal words of Frederick Douglass.

No man can put a chain about the ankle of his fellow man without at last finding the other end fastened about his own neck.

Palin/McCain Anti-Semitism

Jedidiah Palosaari — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 21:54:50 EDT

Have you heard? Yes- they went even further. A blatant, public display of the anti-Semitism of the Palin/McCain campaign.

Today, they started speaking of Obama's close association with Professor Rashid Khalidi. Now, in this case, unlike with William Ayers, he actually has a relationship- Rashid and Barack are friends. Rashid's not an advisor for Barack, but rather a fellow parent at Obama's school. And Dr. Khalidi is not only a professor of Arab studies, but has the prestigious Edward Said chair at Columbia. (Dr. Said was perhaps the world's foremost historian of Middle Eastern studies.)

Now Palin is accusing Dr. Khalidi of being a spokesman for the PLO, which she calls a terrorist organization. Therefore, according to Palin and McCain, Obama is, they think, again fraternizing with terrorists. So let's go over the facts, shall we?

The PLO is not a terrorist organization. It is an organization fighting to liberate the Palestinian people. It has at times turned to violence, and in the distant past, was terrorist. It has renounced those activities. I know that hard-line Zionists will disagree with this, but this blog post isn't written for them. The PLO now runs thePalestinian government, and Israel deals with them. The PLO was also dealt with directly by Presidents Clinton and Bush I. Governor Palin , do you also accuse President Clinton, President Bush, and Israel of fraternizing with terrorists? (Yes, I know you salivate for the first, but do you honestly go all the way?) And surely the governor knows that the designation of the PLO as a terrorist organization by George II is very controversial, and many, many foreign policy experts consider the designation incorrect? Well, actually, perhaps she's not aware of that.

But, some will say, the PLO was once a terrorist organization, and once terrorist, always terrorist. Have you ever heard of the Irgun Gang? It was an extreme Zionist organization, which used exceptionally violent means to form the State of Israel back in the 40's, including bombings and murder of civilians. The terrorist designation was done by Britain, which at time controlled the Palestinian Mandate. Nearly every Prime Minister and President of Israel was at one time associated with this gang. But perhapsPalin still considers them all terrorists as well? Or perhaps she feels that sometimes governments make mistakes in designating freedom fighting groups as terrorists?

Oh, and lest I forget- Dr. Khalidi has never been a spokesman for the PLO, or the Palestinian government. He does speak of the right for Palestinians to be free, and that attacks by Israel on Palestinian civilians are a violation of international law. He has said that Israel has occupied the Palestinian territories. He has spoken against Zionist groups who seek to silence free speech and debate on these issues. All positions that most of the world accepts- accept for some in Israel and America. All legitimate viewpoints, that reasonable people can disagree on, including Barack Obama.

I understand that Sarah Palin and her running mate might not agree with Dr. Khalidi. But they seem to have taken a page from George II, where, if anyone doesn't agree with them, they are a terrorist. This is nothing short of academic oppression.Palin and McCain don't want anyone speaking out against the practices of Israel. But more than that, they seek to silence them, just like the Zionist groups that Dr.Khalidi speaks against. They not only don't agree, they not only don't want to hear the opposing viewpoints- they seek to label the opposing viewpoints as "terrorist", so that the worstappellation in modern America is applied, and the other no longer has a voice. And since President Carter has also pointed out flaws in the Israeli government, even to the point of calling their system apartheid, because, as Carter says, you tell a friend when they are going wrong, one would have to assume thatPalin would also consider President Carter a terrorist.

Let us be clear. Palin and McCain again seek to go negative and attack Obama. This time they seek to attack Obama by saying he is a friend of someone who has supported Palestinian state and human rights. They seek to call this man a terrorist and falsely claim he spoke for the PLO, and then they seek to claim the PLO is terrorist. They do this because they believe that anyone who speaks against injustice in Israel and Palestine, anyone who speaks for the Palestinians, is wrong, is colluding with terrorists, and should be silenced. It is not just that you must support the rights of Jews and Israelis (certainly something should all support), but forPalin and McCain, the rights of the Palestinians should be limited.

My friends, there is a name for this. It is anti-Palestinian. It is anti-Arab. And since Palestinians are Arab, and Arabs are Semites, it is also Anti-Semitic. Probably not any worse than being racist, but it's good to call a spade a spade.

Vote Palin-McCain. The Anti-Semitic Ticket.

MCCAIN DOING MORE THAN JUST PALLING AROUND WITH LOBBYIST FOR SADDAM HUSSEIN

Juli Norwood — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 01:40:26 EDT

Get this... The self proclaimed reformer cough crook cough John McCain, yeah you know the guy who says he's not apart of the washington politics as usual scene has just been outted as a typical corrupt washington politician that pals around with sleazy, greedy, corrupt lobbyists. Go Figure! ;-)

Boy you can't get any more Mavericky than that now can you. lol

The more I google and read about John McCain the dirtier I feel. Any who... back to the Sleazo Lobbyist William E. Timmons, Sr. whom John McCain has named to head his presidential transition team, he is also registered to lobby in 2008 for a wide range of companies and trade groups, including the American Petroleum Institute, the American Medical Association, Chrysler, Freddie Mac, Visa USA, and Anheuser-Busch just to name a few.

His registrations include work on a number of issues that have become flashpoints in the presidential campaign. He has registered to work on bills that deal with the regulations of troubled mortgage lenders Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae; a bill to provide farm subsidies; and bills that regulate domestic oil drilling.

On top of that it has recently been reported that Timmons has been lobbying for Saddam Hussein for 5 years. This slime ball stood to make 45 million from just 1 of the deals. Timmons claims to be a naive angel but that doesn't wash... no one and I mean no one works with and for giants in the industry without knowing something is a stinking pile of doo doo when they step in it! Beside he had Tongsun Park working in lock step with him and this character is well known for his notorious background. Timmmons knew exactly what he was doing and tried to lie to the Feds about it.

To read all about Timmons lobbying for Saddam Hussein click the link below.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/14/mccain-transition-chief-a_n_134595.html

What does this say about John McCain?

It reflects his true colors, he can try to slap lipstick on that pig all he wants it's still a pig. He supposedly wants us to believe that he is honest, that he is a reformer, that he is mavericky and yet he keeps proving to us time and time again that he associates with sleazy crooks, out right criminals, unsavory and unethical characters.

His own actions have been unethical and corrupt... I'm citing the keating 5, the sweetheart land deals etc.

He has the morals of an alley cat in heat!

He protesteth too much whilst pointing fingers at others... I suspect it his unsuccessful attempt to cover up his own illegal activities.

His life is full of stupid blunders, extra marital affairs, lies, uncontrollable anger, corruption, greed and ties to the kind of sleazy, unsavory people you wouldn't bring home to momma or admit to knowing to all of America... and it is all well documented and all over the internet. The internet is rich with detestable filth on John McCain. He can run but he can't hide!

Don't take my word for it google McCain with various terms added such as mob ties, sweetheart land deals, traitor, racist, enemy to POW families, corrupt, terrorists, nazi, scandal, against veterans, against women and children, etc etc and you will find tons of information on John McCain that he don't want you to know.

His Father and Grandfathers Reputations have protected John McCain by preventing the truth from coming out about all of his illicit activities in his life. Cindy's money gives him even more of a cushion from facing the consequences of his actions. Karma's a bitch John... trust me one day your past will catch up with you.

The resurrection of racism and incorporating it into his campaign is totally unfathomable and unforgiveable. There is nothing that this man won't do to serve himself.

He is unfit to be a senator muchless a president!

Juli Norwood

Racism and Hate at McCain/Palin Rally in Pottsville, Pennsylvania

Mark C. Eades — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 16:37:32 EDT

A new video posted to Youtube shows McCain/Palin supporters spewing racism and hate at peaceful pro-Obama demonstrators outside a McCain/Palin rally Oct. 27 in Pottsville, Pennsylvania. One older gentleman early in the video shouts "Bomb Obama!" at the videographer and Obama supporters. Asked by the videographer what that means, the man says, "Get rid of him," then gestures indicating this means assassinating Obama. A younger man holding a "Democrats for McCain" sign says, when asked why he supports McCain, "I'd never vote for a black man." Another young man declares, "I do not want a black man running my country." Among women at the rally, one says she is against Obama because "his associations and his judgment are not American," repeating the Obama-as-foreigner meme. Another older gentleman also repeats this idea, insisting that Obama was born in Kenya, not the United States, and asking for his birth certificate (ample proof exists that Obama was born in the US state of Hawaii). Other rallygoers shout various combinations of "Barack Hussein Obama" in addition to the usual charges that Obama is a "terrorist" and a "baby killer." If we needed more proof that racism and hate are indeed running rampant in the grassroots Republican ranks, this is it. The video is credited to the Pennsylvania progressive organization Keystone Progress.

Mark C. Eades
http://www.mceades.com

Human rights & peace in the middle east - Arabism & Islam discrimination on the "other"

Unknown user — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 10:21:06 EDT

Human rights & peace in the middle east - Arabism & Islam discrimination on the "other"

[Analysis] Peace will prevail when economic, social and cultural rights are granted to all ...

The Middle East... conflicts...

For example:

* the Israel and [so called] "Occupied Territories" (Palestine) issue

* the conflict between Hamas and the Fatah; the Iraq conflict

* the conflict in Afghanistan

* conflicts within Saudi Arabia

* the security concerns, especially the nuclear threat, that Ahmadinajad's Iran poses

* the Kurdish situation with serious discrimination from Turkey, Syria, Iran and Iraq with very limited support from any powers

* the Lebanon conflict

* the rise of Islamic militancy in Egypt and Algeria

* the suppression of any opposition in Saudi Arabia and most of Middle East countries

*
the spread of fundamentalist Islam -- Wahabbi style -- and the attempt
to suppress any modern civil secular democratic voices in the Middle
East region

* and not to forget the problems in Sudan where civilians are being massacred in Darfur by the government and the military.

[...]
Islam is at the center of all social order and of the moral and
intellectual values of Middle Eastern Muslims. In fact, it is the
official religion in most Arab and Islamic countries. Considering
Arabism and Islam as synonyms embodies discrimination against various
ethnic and religious groups in the Middle East. [...]

Conclusion

Most
regimes in Middle East are authoritarian, if not dictatorships, ruling
for decades by fear or reward. The elites who rule in Middle East
countries used religious faith with ideology of nationalism for
blinding people and controlling them ... conflicts in the Middle East
all look different, but the real cause root is related to human rights
abuses.
http://english.ohmynews.com/articleview/article_view.asp?article_class=&no=383905&rel_no=1

For the Elders

Leslye J Allen of Atlanta, GA — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 21:12:25 EDT

Back on January 25, 2008, I received a phone call from my mother telling me that her closest and dearest friend and mentor—and my “Nana”—had passed away. Her friend, Mattie P. Harris died the day Barack Obama won the South Carolina primary. She was one month shy of her 106th birthday. She had witnessed more history than most of us can imagine. The minute Mama said that Nana was gone, I immediately uttered that Barack would win South Carolina. Mama asked me what I had just said, and I repeated the statement. “Are you all right?” Mama asked. “Yeah, it was just a thought,” I answered. It felt extremely weird to have that sensation. I am not one to believe in a lot of hocus-pocus; I have no real superstitions. I do believe, however, in ancestral signs.

This past week I took my mother to the dentist. A retired school teacher and early childhood specialist, at 87 years of age and with two mild strokes behind her, I do not expect my mother to be spry. She has always been a busy body with a keen wit and fierce independence, only recently acquiescing to my demand that she have a housekeeper come to clean up her house. Yet she looked extremely frail to me this week. As an only child, I worry much more than I care to admit. My mother admitted to me that she forgot my phone number the other day, but she has always managed to find her Barack Obama buttons when we are headed out for the day. When I took my mother to vote a month ago, I heard an elderly black man say that he was voting early for Barack Obama just in case he “kicked the bucket before November 4th.” Everyone laughed, but the statement worried me.

Back during the Democratic convention, my cousin Billie, an 83-year-old director, actor, and drama coach called me as if to reinforce how historic and unbelievable this moment in time was. She talked about how she never dreamed she would see such a day. This was coming from a woman who has not only performed with the very best actors of any era, but who has trained some of the best that Hollywood and Broadway have to offer. I worry about her health in almost the same way as I worry about my mother’s health. She admitted that she had endured some recent health problems but was seeing a nutritionist that had prescribed a diet that had improved her overall well-being. She sounded good on the phone, so I worried less. Yet I still worry. In addition to being a supremely talented director, actor, and drama coach, she is a skilled diplomat and when necessary, a gifted liar (smile)—all great actors are! I have heard her skirt around the truth to deter me from worrying. Sometimes it works; sometimes it does not.

This week I found out that Barack Obama’s grandmother Madelyn Dunham was in declining health. The fact that Barack’s grandmother is a year younger than my mother Syble, and only a few years older than my cousin Billie made me a bit more anxious. I am not worried about Barack’s ability to win the Whitehouse or his ability to chart a new course for this nation. I do admit, however, to worrying that there might be some people who might not be around to see it.

I want Obama to win, not simply for myself, and all of us who have made phone calls, donated money and time, but for all of those old folks who never thought such a day would happen. My older relatives have seen this nation at its absolute worst. They remember having to keep silent as they endured the insults of racist whites; they remember being beaten and jailed for looking in the wrong direction or for staring at some white man's ugly cousin. And, too many Black women remember a time when any attractive Black female had to be cautious around white men. Rape was often the payback to a black woman who had spurned the attention of any white man. There was not likely to be any trial, and if so, there would be no conviction of the rapists. These Black elders, male and female, have waited their entire lives for a moment like the one we will see in less than a week. As an African-American, I have heard all the varied responses to a potential Obama presidency. I even heard one misguided white woman admit that she feared Blacks would retaliate against white Americans for past grievances. Oh well.

I do not know any black person who wants to settle two-hundred-year-old plus scores. All that I, and they, wish is to see Barack Obama win this election, and then strut himself, and his wonderful, brilliant wife and two daughters into that Big House on Pennsylvania Avenue. I personally wish this for my country and my elders who have paid the fullest measure for this moment in time!!

Peace and Love!

YES, WE SHALL!!

HOPE - Do not allow fear to divide us!

Mickiboop (P.O.B.) Be the Change — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 19:18:14 EDT

After listening to the news cast about the ATF arresting two "Skin head" kids that were plotting to kill school-aged African Americans and Barack Obama, my heart sank. I don't understand how in 2008, our country can still have people in it that harbor so much hatred toward a race of people who have never sought to harm anyone just because of their skin color. Were these kids put up to this by some crazy person? Were they really on their own without anyone playing "puppet-master" with their lives?

A friend of mine once told me that some White people are afraid that Obama will make life hard for Whites in retaliation for the racism that has been put on Blacks. I told her that is an insane idea especially since Barack Obama is half White and was raised in a predominantly White and Biracial family. With all that has been done to people of color in the past, I have never personally known anyone who wants anything bad to happen to White people. Most People of Color (including me) demand that we are treated as human beings, treated with common courtesy and respect, treated equally and with fairness. Life is hard enough without having to dwell on hate and unfairness too.

I hope the racists who come here to our site will learn from us and take the positive knowledge to their hate-mongering friends and family. The divisive crap (words & deeds) needs to stop before things get out of hand. If anything bad were to happen to Barack, his family or groups of people of color, this nation will be torn apart. It would be the final straw to breaking the camel's back. No "sane" person wants the type of racial drama and hatred that could possibly happen to our country from such dastardly deeds. Obama is a unifying presence. His Biracial background should be enough for everyone to recognize this.

Barack Obama's message of hope and unity has to be spread and put into practice by we the people - all people - all colors, Black, White, Hispanic, Asian, Native American. We must come together in order to change our country for the better! We've got a lot to do to heal our nation from the crap we've inherited after the last eight years of divisive politics, let's get busy!!!

Obama - Biden '08

Send this Letter to your local paper

Carolyn from Lambertville, NJ — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 09:51:00 EDT

From time to time I write a letter to the editor of my local newspaper, hoping to reach the Republican voters in this small town. I sent the following letter today to The Lambertville Beacon. If you think it will help, you're welcome to use it and send it to your local paper and change my name to yours and send it.

'Country First' Means 'Racism Last'

I’m worried about this election. At a time when the national polls tell us that Barack Obama is winning by as many as 10 points, two big fears prevent me from reveling in the prospect of freedom from Republican domination: Vote tampering by the GOP, and the abiding fear of Blacks by too many Americans.

First, the Vote: After a year-long investigation into voter registration tampering, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Greg Palast recently revealed in Rolling Stone magazine “a systematic program of GOP vote tampering,” whereby, for example, the state of Colorado has purged 1 in 6 voter registrations, and nationally 2.7 million have had their registrations REJECTED under new procedures signed into law by George Bush. Readers can do their own research and draw their own conclusions, but what if it’s true, and what if John McCain wins this election as a result of vote tampering?

In the country I grew up in and love, where I was assured that my vote was the most sacred right I had as an American citizen, this could never have happened. Yet we saw it happen twice, and there’s little reason to believe that it won’t happen again in 2008. Is anyone else afraid of living in a so-called democracy where our votes or registrations are destroyed, and where there are no checks or balances to prevent or punish those responsible?

The second issue that scares me is a widespread fear among older, White Americans of Blacks. I grew up in a small town in New Jersey where Black people were not allowed to live, so I know all too well what racism looks and feels like. In fact, the Ku Klux Klan originated in Hightstown, New Jersey – only 20 miles from my hometown. To many Americans, no matter how intelligent, educated, level-headed, hard-working, or sincere Obama is, his race trumps everything else, and they cannot, or will not vote for him because he’s Black. Is there any way they can reconsider their fear and allow for the possibility that Barack Obama is a well-meaning, capable American who will work hard to put our divided country back together and mend our relationships with the rest of the world? Maybe…

This is the most important election I’ve ever lived through, and it scares me that we may end up worse off in 4 years under an incompetent McCain-Palin presidency than we’ve been under the Bush presidency, as impossible as that might seem. If the vote tampering report is true, and I believe it is, Barack Obama is going to need enough votes to compensate for those that are stolen, rejected, or thrown away by the GOP. For this to happen, Americans who believe in putting “Country First” will have to put “Racism Last.” It’s a tall order, but just as I learned throughout my life that racism is born of unfounded fear, others of similar backgrounds might be able to do the same. From my heart to theirs, I beg them to shed that fear, put Country First, and vote for Barack Obama as the only hope we have for a return to the America we grew up in, believe in, and love.

More Anti-Obama Hate at Palin Rally outside Las Vegas

Mark C. Eades — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 16:00:29 EDT

The scene following a Sarah Palin rally Oct. 21 outside Las Vegas turned ugly when departing McCain/Palin supporters confronted a small group of peaceful pro-Obama demonstrators. Video from the Las Vegas Sun shows McCain/Palin supporters in Henderson NV shouting, "Vote McCain, Not Hussein!" at Obama supporters in addition to more overtly race-based taunts including nonsensical charges that Obama either is an Arab or has dangerous ties to Arabs. One woman shouts: "This country needs to wake up! Obama is dangerous! This man is a tyrant to this country. I mean, he has connections to Arabs! His education was paid for by Arabs! He's an abomination!" A man says: "Yes, I am a racist.... Those Arabs are dirtbags. They're dirty people, they hate Americans, they hate my kids, they hate my grandkids." More video from the Henderson event at Youtube includes the usual shouts of "Terrorist!", "Communist!", and "Anti-American!" at the small group of Obama supporters in addition to two men shouting: "No Arabs in the White House!" while the Obama supporters sing "Why can't we be friends?" An additional video at Youtube includes one man shouting "Dope and loose change!" at Obama supporters and a woman shouting: "Barack Hussein Obama! Barack Hussein, he associates with terrorists...! He is anti-American, he is anti-military, he has done nothing for Chicago, his middle name is a terrorist name, he takes money from terrorists, he associates with terrorists!" These video records from Henderson NV are only the latest in a growing library of similar material from McCain/Palin events across the United States, illustrating a disturbing pattern of hate-based behavior at these events that seems to be intensifying as Election Day nears.

Mark C. Eades
http://www.mceades.com

Are the Racist Smears Working?

John Lewis-Dickerson, Atlanta — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 15:25:26 EDT

Campaign by Codeword

By BRIAN JONES

This year , I'm guessing a lot of people are going to dress up as John McCain or Sarah Palin for Halloween.

If you've seen the videos of McCain/Palin rallies, you know what's so scary about them. You've seen people call Obama a terrorist or express fear that he's an Arab--or worse, a secret Muslim! You've seen the person carrying a Curious George doll with a hat that says "Obama." Yes, a stuffed monkey labeled "Obama."

In other words, you've been transported, via YouTube, into a world of hard-core racists--people who are just seething at the possibility that someone who isn't white might be the next president. And worst of all, some of those crowds look pretty big.......

ENTIRE ARTICLE- http://www.counterpunch.org/jones10242008.html