Obama's Victory - My First Impressions

Barack Obama is the President-elect of the United States. I still really don't know what to say.

Though I expected the Democrats to win and win big, I've got to say I was unprepared for the wave of emotion that flooded over me when the race was called for Barack Obama. Our little family just grabbed each other, hugged, and held on. Then we said a prayer of thanks to God for the blessing of the day, and of thanks to our ancestors for persevering through it all and making a day like yesterday possible. Another significant date has been added to the panopoly of sacred dates/events in the advancement of African-Americans up from slavery, joining the Emancipation Proclamation/Juneteenth; the culmination of the Civil Rights Movement (in the form of the Voting Rights Act of 1964); and now the election of the first person of African descent to the highest office in the land.

This is not simply a victory for Blacks, but rather an overwhelming victory for the American people. However based simply on my own history and experiences, at first glance I have to look at it from the perspective of being a Black man. I've been conversing with friends, family, and blog buddies since last night, and keep ending up in the same place. Namely, that just a few short years ago when I was coming up, we used to joke (in a serious way) that a Black person would never, ever become the President of the United States. There were just too many obstacles in the path of such a victory.

For example, there just aren't enough Black people in this country to elect a President. We only comprise 12-13% of the population, so on a good day, if all of us voted for the same candidate and could vote in the same state, we'd have trouble electing a governor in California or Texas by ourselves, let alone a President.

Then there's racial prejudice. In the world I grew up in in East Texas, it was quite clear to everybody that a color line existed and that major obstacles faced Blacks trying to advance in almost any endeavor. That same line existed, sometimes in more subtle fashion, pretty much everywhere else I've lived and worked. White folks simply would not vote for a Black candidate if a viable (read White) alternative was available. National level politics? A President? Yeah right, quit dreaming.

Yet here we are in 2008 and not only is an African-American the President-elect, his victory is due in very large measure to the millions of Whites who voted for him. Oh, I'm not leaving out Blacks, Hispanics, Asians, and others who formed part of the victory coalition, but the fact that Obama captured such a large percentage of the White vote is amazing and gratifying to me. I am proud that so many folks voted based upon their best interests instead of out of fear or ignorance. In so doing, the impetus has been provided for America to take another great leap ahead as a country.

In many ways this election validates our hopes in regard to America's future. I know when I've discussed issues of history and race with teenagers, a lot of times it's as if they have no idea what you're talking about, and their almost universal refrain is that "that was then and this is now. Things have changed." Apparently they are right. Our kids all get along until they're taught not to, and the youth vote in this election proved that beyond a doubt.

Now I haven't buried my head in the sand to the point where I think that the race issue in this country has finally been dealt with definitively. Maybe it never will be. Like Obama, pretty much all of us (especially Blacks and Whites) are mixed-race if you go back far enough and uncover some of the forgotten leaves in our family trees. We're from the same families in other words, and the problem is that historically one side of the family tree reaped the majority of the inheritance. That reality and other deep rooted issues can't be washed away based on the results of a single election.

But Barack Obama's candidacy exposed an essential truth that I hope is built upon in the coming years. That truth is that we Americans have a lot more in common than different. Our interests are the same. A lot of us even have the same names, and common ancestors. We all want to be able to provide for our families, for our kids to get a good education, and to be afforded the opportunity to live healthy and in security. The current administration and its policies has shown us all that we're in the same boat. High gas prices, unending wars, and organized theft from the national treasury affects us all, and we'll be paying the price for two G.W. Bush terms for years to come. Last night's victory is a great start towards that recovery, and a spingboard for a better future.

I sure hope so anyway, and I really wish some of those people who meant the most to me in my life could have lived to see it.

Today is the Day - VOTE!

Damn, where ya been DP?

I guess you could say I've been in a secure undisclosed location, loosely translated as working my behind off and not really having many spare moments for blogging or anything else. But I couldn't let this day go by because it's Election Day.

This is the day I've been waiting for since watching incredulously while John Kerry conceded while hundreds, maybe thousands of people were still waiting in line to cast their votes in Ohio. As bad as that day was, that election did spawn Howard Dean and the 50 state strategy which has put states into play all around the country that the Democrats and Progressives typically just abandoned. That national strategy provided the springboard for the phenomenal campaign of Barack Obama, and now we're on the verge of history.

We've all been waiting, and the tension is like the last two minutes of the big game; your team is up by a field goal and the question is can your defense hold? Well, we're about to see.

I exercised my right to vote last Friday in Ft. Bend County Texas, so I can officially admonish everyone else to get out there and vote. Personally I hope more of you vote for Barack Obama than for John McCain because hey, I'm pretty much fed up with being broke and watching the country go to hell in a handbasket under Republican "leadership." That's plenty enough reason for me to vote Democratic. Not to mention the Democratic candidate seems smarter, has a better plan, and doesn't seem to attract the most vile element of the American electorate like the other side does.

But there's the added bonus of the possibility of the first African-American President being elected, and that makes me very proud, almost to the point of giddy. I know that's not a position that everyone is comfortable with, but I can't help that. I feel the way I feel, and why shouldn't Black folks be proud at such a historically significant moment? Regardless of the outcome, this is another chapter in the amazing story that is Black folks in America.

My mother passed away in July. My Dad passed in 2001. My younger brother, grandparents, and a whole bunch of other people did not live to see even the possibility of this day. But I have, and the joy I'm sure I'll feel if Barack Obama pulls this thing off will be compounded by the fact that so many others who worked tirelessly and anonymously for this day to arrive, did not have a chance to to see it come to pass. So I'll be celebrating for the multitudes of those who came before me and helped pave this road to where we are now.

Or I might be grieving for those same multitudes, but I don't want to think about that right now.

So go vote. Preferably for Barack Obama and all of his down-ticket Democratic buddies, but exercise your right whoever your choice is. Too many people of all races fought, marched, struggled, and died for anyone in this country to be apathetic. And the razor thin results of 2000 and 2004 should dispel any notion that your vote doesn't matter.

Introducing Angie-in-Japan

I'm originally from Florida but have spent the past 15 years working in Japan; seven years as a teacher in the public school system and eight years in the Japanese wedding industry. I am very active in the professional basketball circuit here in Japan, and am now planning on building a health-centered B&B (focused on organic food, exercise, massage/detox and natural healing) near Niigata City, which is located on the Japanese Sea Coast.

When I first came to Japan, I was FAT, at least by Japanese standards. Anyone peddling weight loss products in this land of wafer-thin women is bound to make a killing in a land where 'thick' people have a hard time finding clothes, can't fit into Japanese-designed train or plane seats comfortably and find it hard to say 'NO!' to Japanese hosts who plop mounds of food on their plates when they visit a home (as if all foreigners eat THAT much food in one setting). Some of my foreign female friends even refuse to go to the beach here, mainly out of fear of being harpooned by local fishermen.

Naw…that last one was a joke!

But Japanese women are, for the most part, pressured to weigh around 45 kilograms (99 pounds). I find that too unflatteringly TINY for my taste since I want to keep those devious curves that GOD has undoubtedly blessed so many of us Black women with. But not at the expense of losing good health. My mother lost a leg to diabetes and I'm doing all that I can to keep both of mine. We embrace the thought that we are 'big boned' and many Black women, in my opinion, use that idea to keep holding on to unhealthy weight. I thought I had those big bones, too, until I pulled a muscle in my back while moving furniture about 11 years ago. I went to a Japanese doctor who took x-rays of my spine. I was ANYTHING but big-boned. The x-rays showed that my spine was actually about 1/4 smaller than that of an average adult spine, so he suggested that I take some of the excess weight off. I did and now feel and look so much better as a result. Still got my curves going on, though!

At 41, I am finally coming into my own, and I love the healthy version of the woman I am transforming into. It feels like some long, overdue metamorphosis that was not encouraged in the Black community when I was growing up. I know the importance of keeping my body healthy. I gladly accept that I am worth every bit of 'trouble' it may take to cook a meal or commute to the gym. Here are some other things I do to keep my health in check:

Get annual check-ups and diabetes test (AIDS test included; easy on x-rays)

Eat fresh food: I buy organic, local produce whenever I can. You won't find too many boxed or canned foods in my home

Soymilk only: research shows about 90% of Asian & 70% of African people are lactose intolerant

Chew each mouthful of food about 30x before swallowing: colon cleaned once a year (sorry if that was TMI for some of you but I feel it is vital)

Go to the gym 3-5 days a week: focus on biking, walking and weights. I plan to start waking up earlier to get my morning walks in; nightly walks starting soon

Buy a vegetable or fruit that I have never eaten each month. Vegetables = 50% of my meals, fruit = 20% rice/soup = 20% and meat at 10%

As for meat, I eat fish and other seafood about 99% of the time

Drink a gallon of H2O a day - mostly before, during and after exercise

I rarely use salt to season, preferring the natural taste of the foods I eat to that of seasoning and high-fat sauces

I take supplements, especially those with extra iron and calcium, to ensure better health

I do not take medicine

My regimen includes a few other things, including only putting what I need to eat on a plate and when I'm full, I STOP eating. No more forcing myself to eat everything on the plate! Leftovers are snacked on later. I rarely go back for seconds. I do not go to all-you-can-eat restaurants. Though it may be a bargain on your wallet, it's terrible on your thighs and waist!

In Japan we have a product that works to draw toxins and poisons from the body. I use this on my food to take off pesticides. I use a similar product made specifically for human consumption that helps clean out my body. This has done WONDERS for my appearance and skin tone.

Also, my hair (which I now have in locs) is growing like I never thought possible. On my 3rd year of growth since I did the India Arie thing and "...cut it all off" and now it's down the middle of my back.

I heat my bath water to 37 degrees (C) and sit in the tub for about 45 minutes nightly. (I'm lucky, as our tubs are computerized.) I’m trying to take fewer showers and more baths.

I stretch first thing when I wake up and right after saying my prayers before going to sleep. This has helped me to become more limber lately. Also, I get a massage once or twice a week. This has also done wonders for my circulation.

I don't let stress fester inside of my body anymore. I address problems in a civil manner. I take drives or sit on the beach when I am emotionally drained. Sometimes, I need to get away from everything Japanese...which often takes me to Singapore.

Oh, and last but not least, I pray to GOD for health and strength. Great meditation… Anyway, here's to becoming and staying healthy. Until next time, when I'll share a little more about Japanese culture,

Stay blessed!

Joe Horn - Just Got Away With Murder (Like We Knew He Would)

It's official. Joe Horn got away with cold-blooded, premeditated murder today when a Harris County grand jury decided not to file any charges against him for shooting to death two men who had just burglarized his neighbors house. But I'm not surprised.

When writing about this case back in December I said

...Despite these facts, we're still waiting to hear from the Harris County DA regarding charges against Mr. Horn. Suffice it to say, no one's holding their breath.

...when he went outside. He (Joe Horn) just saw two Black dudes. And in the eyes of many of my fellow Texans, despite the fact that burglary has NEVER been deemed a capital offense, and that a man is supposedly innocent until proven guilty; that is justification enough to get away with murder.

Sometimes I hate it when I'm right. To recap, they weren't robbing his house, a 911 operator told him to stay inside because police were on the way, and as it turns out, were already on the scene but had to duck to avoid getting shot.

"It was over within seconds. The detective never had time to say anything before the shots were fired," (Pasadena police Capt. A.H. "Bud") Corbett said. "At first, the officer was assessing the situation. Then he was worried Horn might mistake him for the 'wheel man' (getaway driver). He ducked at one point.

Did I mention that both men were shot in the back? I know this is Texas and all, but even back in the wild west shooting somebody in the back was considered a cowardly act. What's different here?

Well at least we know that Good ol' Joe feels so bad about what he did now.

Horn's attorney, Tom Lambright, said recently that Horn regrets his decision to confront the men.

"Was it a mistake from a legal standpoint? No. But a mistake in his life? Yes," Lambright said. "Because it's affected him terribly. And if he had it to do over again, he would stay inside.

...Lambright said Horn didn't expect to be involved in a shooting, but rather expected to see the two men running or driving away.

"He thought he was gathering evidence for the police department," Lambright said.

Sure Mr. Lambright. None of of us heard the 911 tape where Good ol' Joe told the operator he was going out there to kill those men. I'm sure it's really had an effect on him, but I guarantee it hasn't affected his life like it did the men he murdered.

There are a lot of folks asking now what the makeup of that grand jury was. C'mon, do you really have to ask. This is after all Harris County, TX. But like I said, I'm not surprised. just wonder what the outcome would have been if the victims weren't Black, Hispanic, and in the country illegally from Columbia.

Well, Good ol' Joe, you got away with it.

Everybody - Into The Pool!

When we're able to afford a nice vacation, my wife and I usually go somewhere tropical. Stop - I know what you're thinking already. "Y'all live in Houston, how much more tropical do you need?"

Well let me rephrase that. We usually go somewhere tropical with nice beaches. And boats. And invariably I end up jumping off that boat into deep water for a swim or to snorkel.

The first time it happened she thought I was crazy, and I didn't understand her reaction. I've been swimming since forever and am quite comfortable in the water, whether it's a pool or the ocean. She on the other hand didn't know how to swim and would not get near the water with anything less than a lifejacket on and a couple of lifeguards on standby. After a summer of swim lessons a few years back, she's much more comfortable now, but I've discovered there are a lot more people out there like her.

Especially Black folks. I learned to swim when I was in the 1st grade, but for various reasons, too many of our kids don't learn to swim early in life. That puts a damper on water borne activities for a lifetime, but that's not the worst of it however. From the excellent Black Gives Back blog:

Not long ago, I read a study that stated nearly 60% of black children ages 6-16 can't swim. Various reasons I've seen cited are historical and cultural factors, such as the lack of swimming pools in urban communities and lower income families not being able to afford swimming lessons. In addition, studies show that Black children drown at a rate almost three times the overall rate.

That's some kind of disparity, and I'm willing to bet that almost all of those drowning deaths could be prevented by ensuring that kids know how to swim and practice proper water safety. There have already been at least two drowning deaths of children here in Houston so far this summer. Thankfully, there are several initiatives coming on line that help to address this need, some of which are highlighted in this post and in this article.

My daughter is not the best swimmer, yet, but she will be because we are making her do it. Same goes for the nieces and nephews. Lessons can be expensive, but I think you have to weigh it against the costs of not providing them. Teach them while they're young.

It's shouldn't really even be a question.

Obama: Black Power! I'se runnin' for Pres-o-dent!

Did you know that Ralph Nader is running for president? Again. I didn't, but I do now. Just goes to show that no publicity is bad publicity, and Nader is proving it. He's all over the news for his asinine statements in an interview with the Rocky Mountain News.

"There's only one thing different about Barack Obama when it comes to being a Democratic presidential candidate. He's half African-American," Nader said. "Whether that will make any difference, I don't know. I haven't heard him have a strong crackdown on economic exploitation in the ghettos. Payday loans, predatory lending, asbestos, lead. What's keeping him from doing that? Is it because he wants to talk white? He doesn't want to appear like Jesse Jackson?

Where to even start. Well, how about pointing out the fact that Barack Obama is running for the position of the President of the United States. Last I heard, there were a lot more than just Black folks living here, and actually, the majority of people don't live in the ghetto. But wait there's more.

"He wants to show that he is not a threatening . . . another politically threatening African-American politician," Nader said. "He wants to appeal to white guilt. You appeal to white guilt not by coming on as black is beautiful, black is powerful. Basically he's coming on as someone who is not going to threaten the white power structure, whether it's corporate or whether it's simply oligarchic. And they love it. Whites just eat it up."

Don't worry Ralph, I've got the solution and I hope the Obama campaign is listening. I think that maybe Obama should incorporate something like this in his stump speech.

Sup? I'm Barack Obama and I'se runnin' for Pres-o-dent.

We gotsta do sumpin' bout payday loans and predatory lending, and sh*t. The interest on them muthaf*ckas is too high. I mean got damn. Don't even git me started on lead and asbestos and crime and all that ol' bullsh*t. Y'all know this county is f*cked up right now, and ima fix it. Nyahmean?

So git yo punk ass out and vote for me in November, else I'll f*ck you the f*ck up. Muthaf*ckas.

That should help him regain his street credibility, and be suitably threatening enough to white people, don't you think? If not, he can always throw a Black Power or two in for good measure.

Would that be Black enough for you Ralph?

Selective Amber Alert - Again

UPDATED 6/25: Children's bodies found and the Father is in custody.

If he actually killed and burned the bodies of his own children there's a special place in hell waiting for him. I can't think of anything that could lead any person to do what was done to these kids.

Oh, and maybe the police had a reason not to issue an Amber Alert in this case, but I still don't see it.

UPDATED 6/18: Still No Amber Alert. Father is now the prime suspect in their disappearance.

There are certain times you just have to call bullsh*t on something. This is another one of those times. Once again, Black children go missing, and the authorities don't even bother to put out an Amber Alert. There is simply no excuse for this.

As local police and the FBI continued their search today for two children who vanished from a Pasadena apartment complex two days ago, the youngsters' mother questioned why an Amber Alert has not been issued.

"I think if an Amber Alert had been issued, my children would have been found already," said Jerilynn St. Cyr.

Police persisted through the night in the search for 7-year-old Randy Sylvester Jr. and his 3-year-old sister, Denim Sylvester, but no new leads were uncovered, a Pasadena police spokesman said.

So why was an alert not issued? For two days so far? Well...

Capt. Bud Corbett said an Amber Alert has not been issued because (Justice Department) criteria required to initiate an alert have not been met.

Here are those criteria.

• There is reasonable belief by law enforcement that an abduction has occurred.
• The law enforcement agency believes that the child is in imminent danger of serious bodily injury or death.
• There is enough descriptive information about the victim and the abduction to assist in the recovery of the child.
• The abduction is of a child age 17 years or younger.
• The child's name and other critical data elements have been entered into the National Crime Information Center system.

How about if kids are missing, issue the darn alert. Every hour is precious and the more time that goes by, the less likely it is that the children will be found safely.

Now, I'm not going to jump all over the policemen because I have ultimate respect for the work they do, but I will say that the old "just following the rules excuse is getting a little bit old. Especially when the rules are usually most stringently followed when the missing kids are Black or brown.

Their photos are at the end of the video below, their physical descriptions are below that.

The boy, who is 4 feet, 1 inch tall and weighs 55 pounds, was wearing a blue-and-orange University of Florida Gators shirt, blue denim shorts and blue-and-white tennis shoes.

The 3-year-old is about 2 feet, 5 inches tall and was wearing pink shorts, pink flip-flop sandals and a pink T-shirt with brown trim. Her hair was braided and pulled back in a ponytail, police said.

Shame!

Here Come The Professionals Part II (AKA, Is That The Best You Can DO?)

After eight years of George Bush as President, six of which featured a Republican dominated congress, what exactly can the Republicans rally around this election cycle against the Democrats and Barack Obama?

The war? That's a no go. The economy? Probably not. Education? Health Care? Environmental Issues? No, no, and hell no. So what does that leave?

Oh yeah, he's Black.

So is his wife. They attended a Black church. And, (John McCain will like this one) did you know he's fathered a Black child? Two actually. And he probably listens to rap music sometimes.

Well, I told folks a few weeks back that if they were upset by the tactics of the Clinton campaign team, just wait until the professional race-baiters got into the game. It looks like they've arrived.

Fox News posted this graphic today during a segment featuring Michelle Malkin.


Obama's Baby Mama. Ain't that about a..., wait, I won't even take it there. But this is pathetic. A Baby Mama typically is used in reference to mother of a child that the father did not marry, which is definitely not the case with the Obama's. But I guess I don't expect Fox News to know or care about that. In fact, how a person can watch more than 15 consecutive minutes of Fox News is beyond me. It takes all types, and types that Fox News attracts will eat this 'controversy' up.

I suppose the graphic has already served it's purpose. Namely, we're all talking about it. But I think that Fox and the Republican noise machine are going to have to come a lot harder than this or their other recent efforts if they really want to influence the opinion of anyone outside of their core viewing audience.

Think about it, what was last week's controversy? Oh yeah, the "Terrorist Fist Jab," otherwise known as dap or a pound where I'm from.

And before that is was Michelle allegedly calling White people "whitey" live on tape while seated next to Minister Farrakhan. That blockbuster tape was supposed to be released just in time to swing the Democratic nomination to Hillary, or it's being held as an 'October Surprise.' We're still waiting to see the alleged tape, which I highly doubt exists.

But I digress. This is just the beginning of the general election campaign so brace yourself for more shocking revelations about Black people, and plenty of slurs. In other words, much like a post-Bush, McCain presidency would bring, we have a lot more of the same coming.

The country deserves better than that.

B*tch A$$ N*ggas - Part II: A Vote Is A Terrible Thing To Waste

Editor’s Note: This post contains mild profanity

and a variation of the “N word.” We hope no one is offended; it is not our intent. But to paraphrase former Detroit Mayor Coleman Young, “Sometimes nothing says it better than a well-placed cuss word.”

B*tch A$$ N*ggas - Part II:
A Vote Is A Terrible Thing To Waste

Read Part I - Thinking Black, Living American

The other night I was in a bit of a retrospective mood. Among my many recollections were thoughts surrounding events and colorful characters that have impacted my life and crossed my path. Even though my thoughts were coming and going at a rapid pace I could not help but to pause and ponder the comments of three very different people. At first I could not connect the dots but after an hour or two I begin to see the parallels.

As I stated in my first installment, I don’t know if the term “bitch ass nigga” was introduced to me by The Boondocks or Katt Williams but the term is appropriate when taking a critical look at African-American’s reactions to certain events. Now, I am not trying to position myself as “holier than thou”, in fact I am sure that I have acted like a bitch ass nigga regarding an issue to which I held some self imposed allegiance, and more importantly, felt like I was justified so I paraded my ego trippin’ ass around stating an infinite number of platitudes and conjuring up as much benign philosophical bullshit as I could.

As I said before, the comments that I thought about varied just as much as the individuals themselves. The first was by my Big Mama – is it me or have you noticed that Big Mama’s are becoming extinct? I won’t go there, that’s a discussion for another installment – who I fondly remember from my younger days saying, “I tell you Black folks have been heading straight to Hell ever since they stopped drinking RC and started drinking Coca-Cola.” I never could understand her rationale for coming to this conclusion but for those of you who have had a Big Mama then you know that she draws her wisdom from an entirely different and undeterminable source.

You see in Big Mama’s eyes RC Cola (or Royal Crown Cola) was just a refreshing beverage but Coke was different. It was a drug passing itself off as a refreshing soft drink. She firmly believed that Coke, with its traces of cocaine and reported miracle healing effects, was making Negroes act out of character and no self-respecting Negro could desire such a thing. As I got older, and a little wiser, I began to understand that my Big Mama’s disdain had nothing to do with her personal preference for one soft drink over the other; rather, her concern was that Negroes were simulating white people with little or no regard for the consequences of their actions. Big Mama never progressed to the point of saying “African American”. I believe she viewed that as the ultimate sign of surrender to her fear.

The second comment was by an older gentleman that had befriended me while working at a summer job during my college years. Clem introduced me to horse racing and would take me to Delta Downs in Vinton, LA every Thursday night. On one occasion Clem brought one of his many girlfriends along – although he claimed to have many girls, Faye was the only one I ever met, but this too is a story for a later post at which time we’ll look at the topic of Real Playas.

At the beginning of each race the horses are brought into the gallery for viewing. A beautiful chestnut-brown colt with a striking muscular build was brought out and Faye immediately said she was going to place her bet on him. I remember Clem’s response to her, “Baby girl, never bet on a show horse when you’re racing thoroughbreds. A show horse doesn’t like to get dirty and in a thoroughbred race even the winner gets dirty.” Clem was right in that regard, the horse finished next to last and Faye lost… and though I hate to admit it, I did too!

Looking back, I know that Clem was giving me some expert advice about horse racing but in reality his advice was more profound and struck at the very heart of how we have become accustomed to thinking. In fact, Clem’s comment was akin to Dr. King’s futuristic view of America when he said we would not be “judged by the color of our skin but by content of our character.” While we may love to recite this quote, we fail to realize Dr. King’s presupposition that first we are to have character; likewise we do not recognize his directive that we develop the kind of character that can withstand scrutiny and stand strong in the face of challenges and adversity.

The final comment was made by my oldest daughter. My daughter is a college junior and shares many of the same idealistic views of the world as her peers, as well as their frustration with parents who once painted this “it’s all about you” picture and are now trying to flip the script. She is excited about voting in her first Presidential Election and the fact that Senator Obama is running a stellar campaign has done more to add to her jubilation. The other night we were watching the latest developments in the Democratic Race and the topic of Hillary getting the nomination came up. At the conclusion of the segment my daughter said, “That ain’t right! If that happens I’m not going to waste my time voting because it doesn’t matter. `Cuz they’re going to do what they want to anyway.”

Her comment is not unique and if we uncover the details regarding highly contested elections in the past, we can assume that her sentiments, which is shared by many others, are not without basis. I cherish my obligation and privilege to vote and I have tried to instill that principle in her as well. Political pundits say that the young vote is unreliable because the majority of them do not consider it as pertinent to their lives. Additionally, I have heard many Blacks state that if Senator Obama is denied the nomination by the Democratic Party then they too will not vote.

These comments led me to think about African American’s current political capital. First, we still have not apprehended the full value of our voting capacity. Not casting a vote ultimately does not show your dissent. Now I am not promoting a vote for John McCain, who is already struggling to firm up his base. I know this sounds real crazy but if we want to show our dissent then we should use our vote to make a contender out of a candidate who had no possibility of winning. To not vote would send a message that we were pouting and would not endear any candidate to include our concerns in their platform. However, if we made a real contender out of a candidate then he or she would be indebted to us for our support and it would send a message to future candidates that we can indeed be king makers. As I explained to my daughter, to not vote because you are disgruntled is the true sign of a Bitch Ass Nigga!

Secondly, African Americans must begin to come down off of this Obama high and realize that while we are in the midst of potentially making history, we must not forget the history that we are already living. By this I mean, an Obama presidency will not have near the impact on your daily living as much as the person who enforces public safety in your area or the one who determines how development dollars are spent in your area or the people who control your children’s education. I know the Obama-rama! has been exhilarating but it cannot replace the hell you are catching because of continued driver profiling, questionable and manipulative jurisprudence by law enforcement and the district attorney, and the continued disparity in the quality of educational services offered at predominately minority low-income schools and those within predominately white middle-income/high-income areas.

Finally, with all the excitement and optimism that is enveloping African Americans with the likely nomination of Obama and the possibility that he could ascend to the White House, I have a few questions of my brothers and sisters. Chief among them is what are we expecting from him? And, what are we expecting to change for us? I ask this because during the mayoral candidacy of Lee P. Brown I witnessed local African Americans response prior to and immediately afterwards. I could not help but notice a major deflation of their expectation bubble and their shock at facing the reality that nothing had really changed. This experience was not unique to Houston, for it has been played out in most major U.S. cities with the exception of Atlanta (the late Maynard Jackson), Detroit (Coleman Young) and a few others.

This has happened not only with our mayors but with most of our Black elected officials because while our vote may have secured their place in office, it was the money in their campaign coffers that kept their attention and the high-dollar contributors that they truly answered to. Now, I am not saying that all Black politicians are selling their votes to the highest bidder but I am encouraging African Americans to increase their participation in the political process beyond the act of voting. We must become creative in using our monies to establish platform agendas, such as developing PACs (Political Action Committees) and creating 527 organizations to provide external support to candidates who further our agendas. Using Clem’s analogy, we must no longer continue to get caught up in this perception of becoming enamored with the “show horse” and learn the art of “the race”.

Please do not misconstrue my statement as labeling Obama to be a “show horse”. I am simply saying we can ill afford to provide undying support to any candidate without conditions. As Minister Farrakhan once said when asked during the 2000 primary season if he would support General Colin Powell in a bid for president, “A Black man in the White House is nothing more than a Black face on a White reality.” The sooner we understand that we cannot bring a beauty pageant mentality to the political process then we will learn to use our vote much wisely.

In conclusion, I am definitely filled with pride regarding Obama’s run at the presidency and I am sure that my current feelings will be vastly overshadowed if he were to win in November. And if that happens, I know unprecedented numbers of African Americans will be in Washington, DC on January 20, 2009, and that Inauguration will be more festive than any have ever seen because you know we love a good party. We will look like debutantes and the couple on top of a wedding cake. Black women will be divine and Black men will be debonair as we waltz across the ballroom floor. But as Big Mama warned, don’t drink the Coke because on January 21, 2009, we will return to our normal lives.

Go Ahead Then

Here's a nice story about academic achievement from today's Chronicle.

Super-student twins offered $3.58 million in scholarships

...the brothers received a combined $3.58 million in scholarship offers, in addition to $67,000 in outside scholarships.

"I'm happy for them, that the hard work they've put into their education — I'm happy to see them get results," said their mother, Lana Dawson, an auditor for the city of Birmingham who raised her twin sons as a single mom.

She watched Thursday as her only children walked across the stage as honor graduates of the Jefferson County International Baccalaureate School. Logan and Ryan, with respective 4.6 and 4.5 GPAs and 33 and 32 ACT scores, were ranked in the top 20 of their class. They both are National Achievement, Coca-Cola and Elks scholars.

While the natural focus is on the boys themselves for putting in the hard work to be academically successful, I think the spotlight really needs to shine on their mother and grandparents, who laid the foundation for their success, and made them stick to it. It takes a village.

The article didn't mention the status of their father, and I hope he's not of the deadbeat variety. His omission doesn't give you much hope on that front though. Imagine how many more success stories of this type we'd have if Dad was in the picture?

Finally, as usual when you read the Houston Chronicle, the comments beneath the story tell a whole different story. There do seem to be an awful lot people out there who slam every story of African-American achievement as racist against White folks; evidence that prejudice and discrimination don't exist; is an example of affirmative action; or just plan not worthy of the news. We can't win for losing in other words.

Talk about bitter and clinging to stuff.

B*tch A** N*ggas

Editor’s note: This post contains mild profanity and a variation of the “N word.” We hope no one is offended; it is not our intent. But to paraphrase former Detroit Mayor Coleman Young, “Sometimes nothing says it better than a well-placed cuss word.”

Part 1 of a Series

PART 1:
THINKING BLACK,
LIVING AMERICAN

With Barack Obama closing in on the Democratic Presidential nomination, I’m reminded of a principle that every child in my neighborhood was taught and expected to live by. That was to protect home, neighborhood and community. I don’t recall anyone having to remind us of this belief because it was an inherent component of our upbringing. Foundational to this rule was the understanding that it was acceptable to have disagreements with a sibling, a friend, or associate, but you rallied to their defense when it came to external attacks. This creed informed us that an attack against the least was an attack against all. In other words they were telling us, like the youth of today say, to not be no Bitch Ass Niggas!

I don’t know if I first heard this term on The Boondocks or from Katt Williams, but I have to admit that its meaning did not sink in until recently. After witnessing a series of events – most notably Pastor Jeremiah Wright’s speech before the National Press Club and the response; Tavis Smiley’s public “criticism” of presidential candidate Barack Obama; and the Black community’s response to his open diatribes, resulting in his refusal to renew his contract on Tom Joyner’s morning radio show after 13 years – I began to wonder if African Americans were experiencing some sort of epidemic causing many of us to act like Bitch Ass Niggas!

I talked to a few minister friends after the Rev. Wright saga to get their response. Dr. Roscoe D. Cooper, pastor of the Metropolitan African American Baptist Church (MAABC), who is also a good friend of Rev. Wright and grew up with him in Philly, made a profound statement. Dr. Cooper said, “… [F]or a people who have always had to struggle to make a way, we have now become a complacent people who wants to have it both ways.” In other words, we want to maintain an afro-centric pedagogy and socio-cultural system, however, we desire acceptance into, and identification with a system that has consistently resisted our total acceptance in any form. To paraphrase Pastor Cooper, the price for an American education and employment in an American economy is total allegiance to an American way.

Although most Blacks nodded in approval when Obama talked about his candidacy transcending race, they knew that he was either naïve or simply making a politically correct statement. We even came to his defense when Smiley decided to take as a personal slight his decline to attend the State of The Black Union. Then Rev. Wright spoke at the National Press Club and brought all the combustible material he could muster to enrage a fire that had been simmering. Even though most of us agreed with a majority of what Pastor Wright said, we accepted the fact that Obama had to denounce him and sever any identifiable relationship with him. In many other circles we would have considered this to be a bitch ass move and Senator Obama to be a Bitch Ass Nigga. Yet it seems that since the stakes are so high, we must allow him the latitude to approach this without the weight of appearing as though he is catering to Blacks.

Furthermore, for all of his attempts to transcend race, the media has effectively painted (no pun intended) him as the Black candidate, while making non-college educated Whites this year’s key voting bloc. In fact, it has been stated in so many words that this bloc represents the very definition of America. This means that the die has been cast and in order to contend, Obama must identify himself with this group to garner their votes. In additon to trying to win this group over the unspoken message is that he must disassociate himself from any pro-Black person and/or causes.

America in general and African Americans specifically, will have accomplished a pivotal milestone when Senator Obama becomes the Democratic Party’s nominee. This poses a conundrum for African Americans regarding the expectations of an Obama presidency. For African Americans who came through the Civil Rights Era, it represents an accomplishment in a hard fought battle, but it is not the golden ring. For young Blacks, like my college age daughter, it represents a positive proof that they can compete effectively on a national stage if given an opportunity. And while the views of my daughter and her peers are admirable, they do come at a high price and further alienates all of us from our foundational principles.

For many of us "in denial bourgeois" Negroes, we have already made the choice and justified the reasons. We said that progress and success would not change us while we moved to the surburbs all in the name of providing our families with a better life than we had.

Making us all, in that respect, some Bitch Ass Niggas.

Hillary - Please, Just Go Already

Hillary, it's time to let it go. You did your best, but right now you're losing all of your remaining credibility by burning every bridge in sight. I mean, come on what's next, a Klan rally?

Between you, Bill, and your surrogates, y'all have done practically everything possible to run Black folks out of the Democratic Party. That's not a particularly smart thing to do when Blacks form the most reliable voting constituency in the party, and have proven to be the difference between winning and losing in almost every recent election. So to say stuff like this...

“ ‘I have a much broader base to build a winning coalition on,’ she told USA Today in an interview published yesterday. She referred to an Associated Press story on Indiana and North Carolina exit polls ‘that found how Sen. Obama's support among working, hardworking Americans, white Americans, is weakening again, and how whites in both states who had not completed college were supporting me.’ She added, ‘There's a pattern emerging here.’ ”

...well that's just ignorant. Are uneducated Whites the only hardworking people in this country? I don't think so. And do you really think it's only Blacks supporting Barack Obama? Newsflash - there aren't that many of us to elect a President by ourselves. Yeah, there's a pattern emerging alright, a pattern of Team Clinton sticking their feet further and further in their collective mouths.

I'm sure just about everybody has blogged about this by now so I won't belabor the point. What I will do is remind Team Clinton, and everyone else that at the start of this campaign season the Black vote was solidly in Hillary's corner. They lost it by going racial and negative after Sen. Obama's early primary victories in Iowa and South Carolina, and by steadily intensifying the rhetoric and denigration aimed at the Black community as the campaign progressed. This in addition to her seeming sense of entitlement that the nomination was just supposed to be hers and how dare anyone challenge that.

This has been the most spectacular fall from grace of two politicians in the eyes of their chief supporters that I've ever seen, and maybe the greatest ever witnessed in American politics. The Clinton's were held in the absolute highest esteem by most folks in the Black community before this campaign, but that's definitely no longer the case. It's mind boggling when you really think about. And think about it Clinton should if she plans on continuing her political career.

Sometime in the not too distant future a political science curriculum will use Hillary's 2008 campaign as an example of what not to do if you actually want to win an election. Lesson number one?

How not to piss off the most reliable and loyal voting bloc in the party who's nomination you're trying to win.

Sigh - Equal Justice Under The Law, Again

The old folks used to say "I don't feel no ways tired" when talking about their lives and the troubles of the world. Unfortunately, I can't say the same thing. I am tired of a whole lot of things. Especially equal justice under the law things. Recent posts by two Afrospear bloggers have added to the fatigue. The danger is that eventually fatigue turns to outrage, and from there, well, you never know.

First, of course is the Philly beat down administered by a dozen or so cops on 3 SUSPECTS in the shooting death of a police officer. Philadelphia blogger the Field Negro writes:

Once again some of our boys in blue acted like the gangsters that they are supposed to be protecting us from. If you haven't seen the video yet, I guarantee you that you will soon. [look here and judge for yourself] It isn't quite Rodney King, but it's bad. And let me be fair to Philly's finest, they just lost one of their own (see my sidebar) when some animal decided to take his life with a high powered assault rifle. So I know that they are on edge. Especially since one of the perpetrators of the crime is still on the loose. Still, it's not (an) excuse to make a pinata out of a bunch of shooting suspects, and ignore all your years of training by letting your raw emotions take over.

The law and order folks are coming out of the woodwork on this, as usual, and the arguments sound the same as they always do - "Well that's what they get for being criminals, and I would have done the same thing." The problem of course is a little thing called due process, which infers that a SUSPECT is innocent until proven guilty. Then there's the principle of habeas corpus that's supposed to apply in all cases, guaranteeing that someone suspected of a crime should have the opportunity to see the evidence being presented against them, and have an opportunity to defend themselves in a court of law before punishment is applied.

Neither principle was followed in this situation, and even if ultimately the suspects are proven guilty, the fact remains that this is not how those sworn to uphold the law are supposed to behave. Not to mention that its not exactly a rare occasion that the police and justice system prosecute and convict the wrong people. There are too many of those cases to mention, which only illustrates my point that you shouldn't assume guilt and whoop people's butts in the streets.

But assume they do, especially in the case of Black male suspects. But what about Black women? To gain a better perspective from that, you need to look at the victims of crime, and how they are treated in Black and White. There's the example of an absolutely horrific case out of New York City in which a young Black woman was abducted, raped, tortured, and beaten to death by a couple of media attention seeking psychopaths. That's bad enough but the major issue in this case is that when the young woman was reported missing, the police did not even bother to look for her, leaving that task up to the family. Gina at What About Our Daughters is all over it.

In a case that could be an example for advocates of missing and murdered black women everywhere, Romona's family has cleared the first hurdle in pursuing a federal lawsuit against the NYPD for denying Romona and other Black victims of equal protection of the law... ie, the NYPD investigates missing White women, but appears to ignore similar reports of missing Black women and girls. Romona (Moore) was a 21 year old college student when she was grabbed off of the street and dragged into a house, raped and tortured for days. She was paraded in front of a group of people, none of which bothered to call police or her family. She was eventually found after the family launched their own amateur investigation. Her mother was blown off by law enforcement.

There's a special place in Hell for animals who would do such things to another human being. You need to go read the whole post just to understand how depraved people can be, and how uncaring. How could you see that girl in that condition and not do something about it? Any way you look at it, its heartless, shameless, and cruel. Just as appalling is a comparison of the handling Ms. Moore's case by the police to that of a missing rare books dealer who happened to be White. Let's just say the interest in finder her was a lot more intense.

Both of these issues once again demonstrate as have so many others that equal justice, or protection, under the law really depends on who you are and what you look like. No, not all of the time of course, but it happens enough to call it out for what it is. We all understand the difficult jobs that police officers perform, but that doesn't mean when they're wrong we shouldn't even dare to speak about it, does it?

The news of just the past few days includes these two cases, the Sean Bell case, and yet another long term prisoner being released from jail after serving years for a crime he didn't commit. When should we speak out? When is enough going to be enough? Perhaps when everyone transitions from being tired to outraged.

I don't know about you, but I'm there already.

The 'Wright" Stuff

Oh my, the Jeremiah Wright "Controversy." Again.

Did it really take all of these weeks for a media outlet to actually find a copy of the sermons that the "inflammatory" sound bites were taking from? I mean, they were for sale on the church's website, right? So with that in mind, what prevented CNN, MSNBC, FOX, CNBC; the print media in it's entirety, and every other organization claiming journalistic integrity from simply purchasing a copy and listening to the sermons in their entirety? Heck, I'm sure that Trinity UCC would have given them copies if they had asked. They didn't, and what we've been left with during the past few weeks is a feeding frenzy based on the agenda of the media organization that all of the others claim to be the antithesis of, Fox News.

Because if anyone would have simply bought a tape and listened to any of those sermons in context, this "controversy" would never have seen the light of day. As a matter of fact, I'm still waiting on somebody, anybody, to show me what Pastor Wright said that was so wrong. Speculative, maybe, but I'm talking flat out wrong. Especially when viewed in the context of the overall sermons, and when they were given.

The reality is that Pastor Wright, like most Black Americans I daresay, is more patriotic than most of your flag-waving, U.S.A., U.S.A., U.S.A., chanting "average Joe's." Why? Because he, and we, believe in the dream of what America can and should be.

That dream is embodied in many (not all) of the words in the documents that founded this nation, and the lofty ideals that have been hoisted aloft through the centuries about freedom, democracy, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We know that America has not lived up to her ideals in relation to many of the people who live(d) here, and plenty more who don't. We accept the reality that, yes, America does have blood on it's hands and lots of it. That while our country has been a force for good in the world, it's also been on the opposing team more than once. We know that politics make for strange bedfellows, and that some of the most brutal dictatorships in the world have been touted as free and democratic by our government due to the politics of that particular day and time.

We also know what it took to get where we are now in this society, what we had to go through, and what got us here. Hint: It had a whole lot to do with the Black church, which has served as a source of strength and organization in the Black community, while simultaneously serving as the conscience of the nation for Americans as a whole. It was the Black church that held our families and communities together through slavery, Reconstruction, and Jim Crow, and guided us and America through the Civil Rights Movement. It is that same Black church which will most likely lead our communities through the scourge of drugs and violence currently plaguing them.

As I've said before, Americans have a problem with history, but to see a firestorm of this sort erupt over the words of a Black preacher who's resume is infinitely more impressive than any of those attacking him, and whose patriotism is more verifiable and tangible than those questioning him, really is an insult to our collective intelligence. To use this "controversy" as an attack on the Black church as a whole is playing with fire. After all, there's only so much nonsense that one can deal with.

One of these days, the American people are going to wake up and realize that the mass media is, for the most part not journalism at all, but simply acting. Depending on the day your favorite anchor may be the protagonist or antagonist based upon the particular "issue." The Rev. Wright controversy demonstrates this to perfection.

Thank goodness Bill Moyers and PBS broke from the mold and, for a brief moment, showed us how this journalism stuff is supposed to work. However with Rev. Wright's appearances at the National Press Club and the NAACP, I'm sure the respite will be brief.

That Equal Justice Under The Law Thing, Again.

I'm a little late but I really feel the need to weigh in on this.

Sean Bell, I'm sorry my brother, but it's going to be a little bit longer before you can rest in peace. Your case is a travesty of justice, and I while I hope that God will provide comfort to your fiancé, children, and family, I also hope the family continues to pursue the issue until justice is served.

The pattern of killing unarmed Black men in this society by the police continues, and the officers in question continue to get away with it. This is America after all, and the lives of Black citizens have always been less valued. And please, I really don't want to hear anyone come up in here talking about, "well two of the officers were Black."

And? What does that matter? They were also policemen, and that is the issue. I respect the work that policemen do. I know it's a difficult job. But policemen, regardless of their ethnicity, seemingly have carte blanc to shoot and kill men of color, regardless of whether they are threatening, armed or not, and this has got to end. It seems ingrained in police culture nationwide, and the cases like Sean Bell's are the one's that are publicized. How many are not?

I'm basically ranting here, because I'm sick of the same old thing happening over and over again. Whether it's guns or tasers, or whatever, the results are the same. A dead Black man, usually guilty of nothing more than being Black, in the wrong place, at the wrong time, and in front of the wrong cops.

Enough already. Justice is demanded in a case like this, and once again, it has been denied. I frankly don't see how these guys can live with themselves knowing what they've done to an innocent man.

While I Was Sleeping - The Pennsylvania Primary

I was on the road a lot this week, including on Tuesday night and Wednesday. As a result, I haven't really had a chance to weigh in on the results from the Pennsylvania primary yet. I had hoped the Democrats in that state would end this thing by delivering a closer margin, or even victory to Barack Obama. Well, that didn't happen, so Hillary has the news cycle for the next fews days, and I'm sure we're going to inundated with the terms resurgence and electability.

Whatever. Here's a reality-based breakdown of the numbers from Dallas Progress:

Pennsylvania Results: 99.44% Reporting

Clinton 1,258,748 54.7%
Obama 1,042,962 45.3%

Total Votes 2,301,710

Delegates: 158 tied to April 22 primary, 29 superdelegates

Delegates Gained in PA primary (est): Obama 74 Clinton 84 (Clinton +10)

Est % of remaining delegates needed to clinch:
Obama 30-32%, depending on the source
Clinton 68-70%.

Hmm, looks a little different than the thundering media narrative would have you believe. Not to mention that there are so many other factors involved when looking at her margin of victory that for some reason, the media narrative is not focusing upon at all.

Like the fact that this was a Democrats only primary with no Independents allowed. Do you think that might have had an impact?

Or how about the Republican crossover vote? We saw it here in Texas in early March too. McCain has his parties nomination wrapped up, so why not throw your vote in the Democratic primary with the hopes of keeping this contentious race going for a little while longer? McCain can sit back in the meantime and watch as the Democrats decimate each other in their typical circular firing squad fashion.

The end result is that once again, Hillary Clinton did not achieve the landslide victory she needed in order to make a dent in Obama's delegate lead. And Pennsylvania was the last, best chance to make that happen in a single, big state.

Bottom line, Barack Obama still leads in every category, and barring some astronomical shifts in the primary voting patterns so far, will be the nominee of the Democratic Party. That's also assuming that a Clinton inspired superdelegate coup does not take place. But the Democrats wouldn't be that stupid and risk alienating their most reliable voting constituency would they?

Would they?

Really - Recruiting Problems?

Who could have seen this one coming? Check out this post detailing some of the recruiting issues the military, particularly the Army, is currently facing from jobsanger.

Both the Army and the Marines are now having to lower their standards. A few years ago, neither would have accepted anyone who had been convicted of a felony. But in 2007, the Army granted 511 felony waivers. That is more than twice the 249 it granted in 2006. Meanwhile, the Marines granted 208 in 2006 and 350 in 2007.

The military is experiencing some recruiting woes. Imagine that. But why? Well apparently we're all the problem because

The (Army) Public Affairs Department said that only 3 out of 10 Americans of military age "meet all our stringent medical, moral, aptitude or administrative requirements.

OK, I guess so if that makes you feel better. Rebuttal, Jobsanger?

Most of us don't see the sense in sending more young people to die in Iraq, when we know that nothing is being accomplished there except the enrichment of huge corporations.

Precisely, and especially among Black recruits. I'm sure the continuing drop in their numbers has something to do with this. Like I've said before, sometimes you don't need a survey to figure stuff out.

The military has provided an option for Blacks over the years to advance their careers and education, and throughout American history, our people have nobly served in all of this country's wars.

But give us some credit for having both patriotism and good sense. With open-ended commitments to dubious war efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan, a certainty of being deployed to increasing more lethal combat zones, and the prospect of little to no support upon your return back home, is it really a surprise that many young Blacks have decided that joining the military at this time might not be such a good idea?

In other words, a plan to end the current morass would go a long way towards alleviating the recruiting situation.

Bob Johnson - Please, Just Shut Up

There's an old, or maybe not so old statement that says "You should never miss a great opportunity to shut the hell up." That statement comes to mind every time I hear Bob Johnson speak, the latest being his CNN appearance this weekend.

Now for those who don't know, Mr. Johnson made his fortune as the founder of BET, a network who's prime programming function seems to be the display of Black women's rear ends from as many different angles as possible. Mr. Johnson parlayed that "success" into ownership of the Charlotte Bobcats professional basketball franchise, who's play on the hardwood is as terrible as the majority of his BET programming.

These experiences have apparently lent Mr. Johnson an air of political authority, because every few weeks, someone trots him out to tell us Black folks we shouldn't be supporting Barack Obama for some reason or another, mainly because he's Black. Or we're Black. Or something. The latest includes Mr. Johnson, in his infinite wisdom, telling us that us that Geraldine Ferraro was actually right last month in her now infamous statements.

"What I believe Geraldine Ferraro meant is that if you take a freshman senator from Illinois called 'Jerry Smith' and he says I'm going to run for president, would he start off with 90 percent of the black vote?" Johnson said. "And the answer is, probably not."

"Geraldine Ferraro said it right," Johnson added. "The problem is, Geraldine Ferraro is white. This campaign has such a hair-trigger on anything racial it is almost impossible for anybody to say anything."

Where to start? Well, how about the fact that Obama didn't start out with anywhere near 90% of the Black votes. In fact, I'm willing to bet it was closer to 90% for Hillary Clinton. It took a while before we bought into the fact that his was a viable candidacy. And it still wasn't until the Clinton campaign started playing the race card fast hard and heavy (with Bob Johnson's help), that many Blacks began to view the campaign as both viable politically AND an opportunity to advance the social agenda in this country. In other words, Hillary Clinton basically lost the Black vote over the course of this campaign due to her own strategic blunders, not simply because Obama is Black.

What an insult. And the truth is that if Obama were a White man, even a freshman Senator, this race would most likely have been over a long time ago. But we don't want to talk about that do we Bob?

I'm in an advice giving mode so here's a little bit for Mr. Johnson and whoever it is that thinks he's an authority who's opinion Black Americans listen too, much less follow.

1. Blacks might take you a little more seriously if you didn't constantly refer to us as "they" instead of "we." Heck, Whites might too. I mean, you are Black, aren't you?
2. Maybe you should try talking about other issues every now and again, like maybe education, or the economy, or something. The only thing that seems to move you is Black folks preferring Obama over the alternatives of Clinton or McCain. It kind of kills your credibility.
3. You might carry a little more weight among Democratic and Independent voters if you were recognized as even a little bit progressive. But you're not. Again, that credibility thing.
4. Why are you so obsessed with the Black vote alone? What about Whites who support McCain? Or Obama? Or women who support Clinton? Or Hispanics, Asians, or anybody else supporting anybody?

So that's that, and I hope Mr. Johnson now realizes that the vast majority of us have made an informed political calculation of one type or another that has led us to supporting Sen. Obama. The fact that he's Black is just a nice bonus.