a great day in america
in the early fall of 1957 i was a student at subiaco monastery in arkansas and two friends of mine and i went to little rock to carry signs saying ALL PEOPLE ARE EQUAL and EQUAL RIGHTS FOR ALL to central high where 9 little black girls were being escorted by national guard troops so they could attend school. we were cursed and threatened and rocks were thrown at us.
fifty one years later, i was able to put up a sign in my front yard promoting an african american man for president. i worked for that man, canvassed for that man, caucused for that man, phoned people for that man, sent money to that man and then, last night, watched that man become president of the united states of america.
i have lived through and participated in history.
we, as a nation, have grown up and have seen the world for what it is: a multi-racial, multi-cultural place. we have reclaimed the moral high ground and reaffirmed our claim to be the land of real opportunity and equality for all.
this election has motivated the world and shown the world that we, as a people, are not the racist warmongers that they had come to think we were.
as a side note, i do not believe that God ever becomes involved in human affairs but if i am wrong then God's timing of the economic meltdown on wall street was impeccable.
it's a great day in america.
fifty one years later, i was able to put up a sign in my front yard promoting an african american man for president. i worked for that man, canvassed for that man, caucused for that man, phoned people for that man, sent money to that man and then, last night, watched that man become president of the united states of america.
i have lived through and participated in history.
we, as a nation, have grown up and have seen the world for what it is: a multi-racial, multi-cultural place. we have reclaimed the moral high ground and reaffirmed our claim to be the land of real opportunity and equality for all.
this election has motivated the world and shown the world that we, as a people, are not the racist warmongers that they had come to think we were.
as a side note, i do not believe that God ever becomes involved in human affairs but if i am wrong then God's timing of the economic meltdown on wall street was impeccable.
it's a great day in america.
posted by Ron Shock | 6:33 PM
5 Comments:
Ronno-I thought your "why I am voting for Obama" was perfect, and it echoed my feelings exactly. I sent that out to many people. And I know that I got at least one person to switch to the good guy's side.
Maybe there is a future for the "Church Of Logical Thought"
I think there is room for a small bit of comedy here, though...
50 years ago, if you would have asked the average person:What do you think is more likely?
A:That the Chicago Cubs would be IN and WIN the World Series
or
B. A Black man will be elected President of the United States in a Landslide over an established Republican Senator
What do you think the answer would have been?
And I've just had a weird experience typing that letter "B" answer--knowing that it was true
Wow!
And what do you think our old pal Hicks would have said about all of this? How fucking bad do you think Rev. Billy would have taken apart Sarah Palin?
Rock and fucking roll!
peace,
SM
Dear Sir,
You said in a previous post that you welcome critical comments from readers, yet you recently announced that you will automatically delete any comments from certain critics. Are you that afraid of criticism?
This is yet another example of the glaring contradiction between what you say and what you do.
Your words, sir, are those of a coward. That’s right, a coward. Brac-brac-brac-brac-brac-brac-brac. (Or should I say, Barack-Barack-Barack-Barack-Barack-Barack-Barack.)
RON.
I received your e mail at 9p on Wed. Stating:
ROCK AND FUCKING ROLL!!!!!!!!!
Thought I would have heard that at 9am yesterday morning not 9pm.
Somebody is " Movin on up to... the east coast...to a DEElux house in D.C...."................
"From the back of the bus to head of the nation."
In all seriousness I was in aw of the celebrations across the nation and world. I do not believe there has ever been a celebration of that proportion in my life time, maybe not since V Day.
I hope he does well and change does come without bankrupting the small businesses of this country. Here is their opportunity, the dems, to see if they can run things better.
One thing I am sure about is, I do not want to hear any complaints about why things can't get done. Its now under their control.
Also I hope this brings the nation together and all believe, that in this great country you CAN be or do what you want if you work hard enough. There is no man or system keeping anyone down, besides self loathing and shifting of the blame.
I do believe that today any person "can be judged by the content of their character and not the color of their skin" or gender for that matter. It raises all of us, not just the minority.
The republican party can use a good shake up and restructuring, maybe even a new platform and now more than ever is the time for them to change and or update their thinking.
Rudy..... Rudy.....
SO here are the keys...to the country, good luck.
As the headline reads in a Chicago left wing newspaper.. "Don't Screw This UP"
Michael Alfano
The Comedy Catch and Giggles Grill
Chattanooga, TN
Dear Anonymous,
FYI, we who actually wanted to have a dialog with Ron or hear what he had to say asked for those deletions. The deleted "critics" were, in fact, flamers and we found them tedious and stupid and we begged Ron to do something about them.
From the perspective of the antiwar activist, there are many dangers that lurk just around the corner, and the most insidious and least obvious is the consolidation of economic power in the state. This centralization will make it easier for the federal government to mobilize all the resources of the country for military purposes: indeed, the economic crisis will give the government cover to further consolidate and rationalize its growing power and increase its ability to punish "anti-government" critics. From what we have seen so far, the Obama administration is almost certain to abuse its power in this way.
Another danger that looms large on the horizon of Obama World is the prospect of a lovesick media corps, one so enamored of their Messiah-in-the-White-House that, while failing to examine his policies overseas, they swallow his explanations too readily. It is all too easy to imagine our besotted press corps capitulating to a new era of political correctness in Washington, where all criticism of the Dear Leader is deemed "reactionary" and implicitly racist. When the Obama administration assures us Iran is building "weapons of mass destruction," how many in the mainstream media will be inclined to question them? I'm very much afraid of the answer to that question.
The Obama campaign was supposedly born as a grassroots movement, an online phenomenon that went viral and created a new majority. This myth is belied, of course, by the huge amount of corporate dollars that went into the campaign. McCain was outspent by an incredible margin. The Money Power is heavily invested in Obama, and they fully expect their generosity to be repaid – with interest.
In the international arena, this means the protection of corporate interests abroad, with the U.S. military being used as a private police force to protect American business interests – you know, the sort of enterprises that are "too big to fail" and have to be succored by the U.S. Treasury. Obama, like McCain, signed onto the Wall Street bailout, and he'll be just as willing to send in the Marines to secure their interests abroad.
The more years I accumulate observing American policymakers in action, the more I'm struck by the essential continuity of U.S. foreign policy. Since the end of World War II, our course has been set: straight for the same mausoleum that houses the remains of the British, the Soviet, the Roman, and all other would-be global empires of the past. It will take more than mere "change" to turn this around. It will take a Herculean effort, one that is now possible – but only if we remain vigilant, and relentless in our exertions.
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