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And speaking of Obama's bio...
I don't know exactly why - probably the "Frank" character telling a young "Bar"
about "the facts of colored life" combined with the WP's daily email "briefings," but these recent three pieces in the WP brought the recent "discussion" involving Obama's bio to mind http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...040202347.html and/versus: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...rc=nl_opinions (Note - the latter was in the WPs daily "Opinion" email labeled/linked as follows (the complete link tag): "Eugene Robinson The Forgotten District Where's the help for the black underclass?" combined with this article linked-to in the news brief email: Obama to discuss needs of black community President Obama will sit down Tuesday with about 20 black religious leaders, including representatives of the major African American denominations, in the second White House meeting in three months to discuss the needs of the black community. (the full article is http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...rc=nl_headline) IAC, since, apparently, the only two people in the world who consider Obama to be bi-racial are Obama and me, why isn't the election of a "black"/"African-American person as the President of the United States at least some indication that "blacks" have come a long way, baby...brother....? And maybe it should indicate that views attributed to "Frank" aren't anymore appropriate than David Duke's (or whatever loon(s) are leading the sheetcutters these days), nor are those of opportunists like Jackson and Sharpton or "guilty white liberal" paternalist "PC"ers in a modern, progressing world... And an aside to jeff - thus far, IMO, Obama's "job" with regard to racial "traps" has been pretty good. He appears to have avoided most of race nonsense from all sides (the Gates ****up being an exception, but at the end of the day, not that big a deal), but I do disagree with his refusal thus far to fully (and accurately) address his heritage as the product of a white "American" mother and a "black" "African" father. I don't particularly fault him for it - a pol has to, well, pander to their base(s) - but, again IMO, he could do a world of good for the whole racial issue, at least insofar as "regular people" (non-public figures without a "public" agenda) are concerned - if he were to address it forthrightly and head-on. And I'm not talking about might appear to be "popular" with a particular base, I'm talking about what's right. R |
And speaking of Obama's bio...
"jeff" wrote in message ... On 4/6/2010 9:53 AM, wrote: I don't know exactly why - probably the "Frank" character telling a young "Bar" about "the facts of colored life" combined with the WP's daily email "briefings," but these recent three pieces in the WP brought the recent "discussion" involving Obama's bio to mind http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...040202347.html and/versus: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...rc=nl_opinions (Note - the latter was in the WPs daily "Opinion" email labeled/linked as follows (the complete link tag): "Eugene Robinson The Forgotten District Where's the help for the black underclass?" combined with this article linked-to in the news brief email: Obama to discuss needs of black community President Obama will sit down Tuesday with about 20 black religious leaders, including representatives of the major African American denominations, in the second White House meeting in three months to discuss the needs of the black community. (the full article is http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...rc=nl_headline) IAC, since, apparently, the only two people in the world who consider Obama to be bi-racial are Obama and me, why isn't the election of a "black"/"African-American person as the President of the United States at least some indication that "blacks" have come a long way, baby...brother....? And maybe it should indicate that views attributed to "Frank" aren't anymore appropriate than David Duke's (or whatever loon(s) are leading the sheetcutters these days), nor are those of opportunists like Jackson and Sharpton or "guilty white liberal" paternalist "PC"ers in a modern, progressing world... And an aside to jeff - thus far, IMO, Obama's "job" with regard to racial "traps" has been pretty good. He appears to have avoided most of race nonsense from all sides (the Gates ****up being an exception, but at the end of the day, not that big a deal), but I do disagree with his refusal thus far to fully (and accurately) address his heritage as the product of a white "American" mother and a "black" "African" father. I don't particularly fault him for it - a pol has to, well, pander to their base(s) - but, again IMO, he could do a world of good for the whole racial issue, at least insofar as "regular people" (non-public figures without a "public" agenda) are concerned - if he were to address it forthrightly and head-on. And I'm not talking about might appear to be "popular" with a particular base, I'm talking about what's right. R why is that a "what's right" issue? because it will satisfy you? it's a looney issue to me...a baiting issue that serves no national or political purpose. what makes it important to you? why and how will it help "regular people"? imo, he wrote a book addressing his heritage adequately. what is lacking in the book that you need said? i'm more interested in his efforts and statements as president than i am some additional explanation of his heritage - an explanation that, imo, will satisfy none of the close-minded obama haters and will add nothing new. the current right wing of our political discourse is and will remain a mystery to me...it's arrogant, calculating, hate and propaganda for the most part. it gurgles in some, boils in others...most think they are entitled to express their vitriole against their countrymen and their president. i yearn for "regular people". i think we all have our own idea of what that means. if you've seen any of the photos or videos of the faces and reactions, or read the statements, etc. of black americans (african-americans, if you prefer) upon first learning of Obama's election as prez...i don't see how you or anyone can deny the impact of his election on a significant population of this country - a population that claims him as uniquely one of them, and an impact that included a sense of pride and citizenship recaptured or discovered. that was an important moment in my life, revealing a level of emotion i had rarely noticed in a segment of our society that suffers disproportionately (for whatever reason you or others might believe) in education, income, employment, elected office, incarceration, crime, housing, etc. yeah, i reckon i missed your point... jeff I love you Mr. Miller. Not only because you are a fine and decent person, but because you have a sal****er fishing vessel. My buddy John and I fished Upper Creek yesterday. Hiked up to the cable-crossing put-in, fished up and *almost down* the 5 tier waterfall--water level is high and the water is running fast, so climbing up the fals was deadly and we had to go up the ridgeside around the first two tiers. We fished up to the campsite by the waterfall that comes off of Chestnut Mountain and ten hiked back out over Raven's Cliff--like you and I did that one year. I fell a number of times on the dry leaves, but that was on the way in coming down the put-in trail. I went down one time and flipped over the deadfall log that yo have to climb over--thought that I was going all the way to the bottom but was able to grab hold the log. Fishing was poor, most of the day. I suppose the current flow had something to do with it, as we caught fish above the falls in the slower flat waters. I will place some pics on alt.binary.pictures.fishing-none of fish, just scenary pics.. Op |
And speaking of Obama's bio...
On Tue, 06 Apr 2010 20:07:02 -0400, jeff wrote:
On 4/6/2010 9:53 AM, wrote: I don't know exactly why - probably the "Frank" character telling a young "Bar" about "the facts of colored life" combined with the WP's daily email "briefings," but these recent three pieces in the WP brought the recent "discussion" involving Obama's bio to mind http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...040202347.html and/versus: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...rc=nl_opinions (Note - the latter was in the WPs daily "Opinion" email labeled/linked as follows (the complete link tag): "Eugene Robinson The Forgotten District Where's the help for the black underclass?" combined with this article linked-to in the news brief email: Obama to discuss needs of black community President Obama will sit down Tuesday with about 20 black religious leaders, including representatives of the major African American denominations, in the second White House meeting in three months to discuss the needs of the black community. (the full article is http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...rc=nl_headline) IAC, since, apparently, the only two people in the world who consider Obama to be bi-racial are Obama and me, why isn't the election of a "black"/"African-American person as the President of the United States at least some indication that "blacks" have come a long way, baby...brother....? And maybe it should indicate that views attributed to "Frank" aren't anymore appropriate than David Duke's (or whatever loon(s) are leading the sheetcutters these days), nor are those of opportunists like Jackson and Sharpton or "guilty white liberal" paternalist "PC"ers in a modern, progressing world... And an aside to jeff - thus far, IMO, Obama's "job" with regard to racial "traps" has been pretty good. He appears to have avoided most of race nonsense from all sides (the Gates ****up being an exception, but at the end of the day, not that big a deal), but I do disagree with his refusal thus far to fully (and accurately) address his heritage as the product of a white "American" mother and a "black" "African" father. I don't particularly fault him for it - a pol has to, well, pander to their base(s) - but, again IMO, he could do a world of good for the whole racial issue, at least insofar as "regular people" (non-public figures without a "public" agenda) are concerned - if he were to address it forthrightly and head-on. And I'm not talking about might appear to be "popular" with a particular base, I'm talking about what's right. R why is that a "what's right" issue? because it will satisfy you? it's a looney issue to me...a baiting issue that serves no national or political purpose. what makes it important to you? why and how will it help "regular people"? When I say "regular people," I mean people of all colors with no "public racial(racism) agenda," ala Al Sharpton. If tomorrow morning, the US woke to a basically racism-free county, ol' Al would be out of a "job" - nobody left to bait, put a guilt trip upon, or otherwise stir up. But more importantly, what would be right is that "regular people" of all skin tones might see - no, "see" isn't the word - actually start to believe that skin color simply doesn't matter. The idea that, for some, a "black" guy got elected as POTUS being a big deal, some positively, some negatively, simply feeds the whole cycle. I understand that it was and will be that way, but it doesn't mean that I have to agree with it. It's like the Sotomayor thing - "the first Latina!" or "a friggin' Latina..." depending on the slant. Why wasn't the first left- or right-hander a big deal? The first blue-eyed person? If the physical characteristic somehow related to the performance - the first blind NASCAR driver - it might make more sense. Or even the first "free" black person after the EP or first woman after "suffrage," but the whole idea of it being an issue one way or the other in the 21st century seems, well, bluntly, ****ed-up. And on that, too, I understand that again, it will be that way, but also again, it doesn't mean that I have to agree with it or just merely accept it. imo, he wrote a book addressing his heritage adequately. what is lacking in the book that you need said? Oh, come on - he was, what, 20 or so when he was contracted and 25 or so when it was published, and he himself stated plainly that he was a work in progress, so to speak. The life-views of any 20-something are hardly those of a mature adult. Are you suggesting that his viewpoint then should be his viewpoint for the rest of his life? I'm not sure if he originated the phrase, but such an idea puts me in mind of PJ O'Roarke - he who isn't a radical at 20 has no heart/soul and he who isn't a conservative at 40 has no brain/sense. IMO, the book and the ideas/feelings expressed therein don't accurately reflect the Obama of today - he has obviously matured, both as a person and in his "public face." I don't particularly hold anything in the book against him - he was, basically, a kid doing the things that kids should do ("a radical at 20..."). And now, if nothing else, he has become an adult man, and even before his presidency, he had taken on, and as far as I can tell, generally lived up to the responsibilities of one. As to what I "need said," there is nothing I "need" said, but there are things that I think would be very beneficial to the US and world if they were said, and said by him. i'm more interested in his efforts and statements as president than i am some additional explanation of his heritage - an explanation that, imo, will satisfy none of the close-minded obama haters and will add nothing new. The real, true _racists_, be they black, white, yellow, or purple, aren't going to change their position in any significant numbers because of anything anyone says, so **** 'em - I won't expend much effort even considering them and none worrying about them. OTOH, some impressionable kid can be saved from significant feelings of racism and those that are just "humanly racially uneasy" might be encouraged to be less so - simply put, it won't save the world, but it would go a long way to making it a better place. You were big on the promise of Obama, so here's a significant way he can use some of that promise to make a real difference. And it won't cost taxpayers much, if anything at all. the current right wing of our political discourse is and will remain a mystery to me...it's arrogant, calculating, hate and propaganda for the most part. I agree...and it just about mirrors the current left wing, and most of the "middle wing" is getting pretty fed up with both extremes. And that goes to one of my points about Obama - here's a guy that is literally smooth slap in the middle of the black-white race thing, so why not speak out as such? it gurgles in some, boils in others...most think they are entitled to express their vitriole against their countrymen and their president. Um, are you talking about now or when Bush was POTUS or ??? IAC, maybe they think they are so entitled because in the US, they ARE so entitled. The right to do so doesn't make it the wisest course, but having that right beats all hell out of the alternative. i yearn for "regular people". i think we all have our own idea of what that means. And I suspect that for most folks, you and I included, most of those ideas are a lot more similar than they are different, but hey, YMMV. if you've seen any of the photos or videos of the faces and reactions, or read the statements, etc. of black americans (african-americans, if you prefer) I'd prefer that the whole term "African-American" (and the equally-silly "Asian-American") would fade away - it's silly, not particularly informative as a descriptive, and more a source of problems than solutions. I mean, when is the last time you heard someone say they were a "European-American" - an "African-American" could be a person half-Egyptian, half-Brazilian of any skin color, yet it has come to mean "black people," primarily in the US, by US black people. It's...ahem...a "code word," except it's goofy - it covers three continents with a wide variety of people, albeit in US usage, I'll grant that it means "whatever-'US American'". I could better understand "Kenyan-American" or "Ethiopian-American." upon first learning of Obama's election as prez...i don't see how you or anyone can deny the impact of his election on a significant population of this country - a population that claims him as uniquely one of them, and an impact that included a sense of pride and citizenship recaptured or discovered. Well, I assume you mean "black people," and while I don't see how anyone can speak for the entire population or significant portion thereof, anyone can claim anyone "as uniquely one of them." And they may or may not be accurate. In the case of Obama "black" people, he isn't "uniquely one of 'them.'" I'd offer that if he embraced his _entire_ heritage openly and forthrightly, the "African"/"black" as well as the "white,", more folks might truly embrace him as "one of them"...and they'd be accurate. Again, I cannot recall Obama ever saying "I consider myself 'black,' not 'white'" - not that he _must_ do so. But his coyness with "African-American" is somewhat off-putting, and not just to me. "Blacks," and especially other bi-racial folks, have expressed the exact same feeling. that was an important moment in my life, Why? revealing a level of emotion i had rarely noticed in a segment of our society that suffers disproportionately (for whatever reason you or others might believe) in education, income, employment, elected office, incarceration, crime, housing, etc. I think it is a variety of reasons, including but not primarily "racism" in the traditional sense, at least in the last 30-40 years. I think that a much more insidious form of racism - that of paternalist racism - has contributed moreso in the last 30-40 years than the aforementioned "traditional" racism. And if you doubt it, I'd offer as evidence (not "proof," just evidence) any number of other races and nationalities that have, in the same or fewer number of generations than black Africans have been technically "free" as well as more "free" in a real-world sense (yes, I realize and understand that technically "free" under Federal law didn't immediately translate into real-world _free_), risen substantially above their initial status in the US, even in the face of a level of on-going prejudice. Simply put, at what point do you feel that "black" people are responsible for at least a substantive portion of their own position? How many generations is enough? Moreover, Obama has no "heritage" of slavery or prejudice in the sense of US "blacks," nor has he any heritage of US-type "racism" except _possibly_ on his "white" side as the oppressor rather than the oppressed. It would seem that a person in that position who still speaks to blacks as "one of them" and could speak to whites just as equally as "one of them" could spend some of his talking time speaking to both equally on equality, so to speak. yeah, i reckon i missed your point... Apparently so. jeff TC, R |
And speaking of Obama's bio...
"jeff" wrote yeah, i reckon i missed your point... Apparently so. maybe not... jeff the fact that i am writing the following sentiment amazes me. i enjoyed the intelligent, crafty, civilized, and thoughtful dialogue that you and richard just produced. quit while you are ahead. :), or maybe not. yfitons wayno |
And speaking of Obama's bio...
On 2010-04-07 12:26:25 -0400, "Wayne Harrison" said:
"jeff" wrote yeah, i reckon i missed your point... Apparently so. maybe not... jeff the fact that i am writing the following sentiment amazes me. i enjoyed the intelligent, crafty, civilized, and thoughtful dialogue that you and richard just produced. quit while you are ahead. :), or maybe not. yfitons wayno Do you know someone named Molly? I dreamed about her and you last night. Stay out of my dreams, counselor, or my lawyer will speak to your lawyer. And no, she wasn't ...... changed. d;o) |
And speaking of Obama's bio...
"David LaCourse" wrote Do you know someone named Molly? I dreamed about her and you last night. Stay out of my dreams, counselor, or my lawyer will speak to your lawyer. And no, she wasn't ...... changed. d;o) the only "molly" i know is a fictional denizen of one of my all-time favorite songs, "1952 vincent black lightning", by the great brit songwriter, richard thompson. of her, thompson wrote, "red hair and black leather--my favorite colour scheme..." a '52 vincent is one of man's most beautiful creations. yfitons wayno |
And speaking of Obama's bio...
On Wed, 7 Apr 2010 13:28:22 -0400, "Wayne Harrison" wrote:
"David LaCourse" wrote Do you know someone named Molly? I dreamed about her and you last night. Stay out of my dreams, counselor, or my lawyer will speak to your lawyer. And no, she wasn't ...... changed. d;o) the only "molly" i know is a fictional denizen of one of my all-time favorite songs, "1952 vincent black lightning", by the great brit songwriter, richard thompson. of her, thompson wrote, "red hair and black leather--my favorite colour scheme..." a '52 vincent is one of man's most beautiful creations. Lemme guess - she was long and lean, every young man's dream... TC, R ....and hotter than a two-dollar pistol, too... yfitons wayno |
And speaking of Obama's bio...
On Apr 6, 5:07*pm, jeff wrote:
On 4/6/2010 9:53 AM, wrote: I don't know exactly why - probably the "Frank" character telling a young "Bar" about "the facts of colored life" combined with the WP's daily email "briefings," but these recent three pieces in the WP brought the recent "discussion" involving Obama's bio to mind http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...10/04/02/AR201... and/versus: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...10/04/05/AR201... (Note - the latter was in the WPs daily "Opinion" email labeled/linked as follows (the complete link tag): "Eugene Robinson The Forgotten District Where's the help for the black underclass?" combined with this article linked-to in the news brief email: Obama to discuss needs of black community President Obama will sit down Tuesday with about 20 black religious leaders, including representatives of the major African American denominations, in the second White House meeting in three months to discuss the needs of the black community. (the full article is http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...10/04/05/AR201...) IAC, since, apparently, the only two people in the world who consider Obama to be bi-racial are Obama and me, why isn't the election of a "black"/"African-American person as the President of the United States at least some indication that "blacks" have come a long way, baby...brother....? *And maybe it should indicate that views attributed to "Frank" aren't anymore appropriate than David Duke's (or whatever loon(s) are leading the sheetcutters these days), nor are those of opportunists like Jackson and Sharpton or "guilty white liberal" paternalist "PC"ers in a modern, progressing world... And an aside to jeff - thus far, IMO, Obama's "job" with regard to racial "traps" has been pretty good. *He appears to have avoided most of race nonsense from all sides (the Gates ****up being an exception, but at the end of the day, not that big a deal), but I do disagree with his refusal thus far to fully (and accurately) address his heritage as the product of a white "American" mother and a "black" "African" father. *I don't particularly fault him for it - a pol has to, well, pander to their base(s) - but, again IMO, he could do a world of good for the whole racial issue, at least insofar as "regular people" (non-public figures without a "public" agenda) are concerned - if he were to address it forthrightly and head-on. *And I'm not talking about might appear to be "popular" with a particular base, I'm talking about what's right. R why is that a "what's right" issue? because it will satisfy you? it's a looney issue to me...a baiting issue that serves no national or political purpose. what makes it important to you? why and how will it help "regular people"? imo, he wrote a book addressing his heritage adequately. what is lacking in the book that you need said? i'm more interested in his efforts and statements as president than i am some additional explanation of his heritage - an explanation that, imo, will satisfy none of the close-minded obama haters and will add nothing new. the current right wing of our political discourse is and will remain a mystery to me...it's arrogant, calculating, hate and propaganda for the most part. it gurgles in some, boils in others...most think they are entitled to express their vitriole against their countrymen and their president. i yearn for "regular people". i think we all have our own idea of what that means. if you've seen any of the photos or videos of the faces and reactions, or read the statements, etc. of black americans (african-americans, if you prefer) upon first learning of Obama's election as prez...i don't see how you or anyone can deny the impact of his election on a significant population of this country - a population that claims him as uniquely one of them, and an impact that included a sense of pride and citizenship recaptured or discovered. that was an important moment in my life, revealing a level of emotion i had rarely noticed in a segment of our society that suffers disproportionately (for whatever reason you or others might believe) in education, income, employment, elected office, incarceration, crime, housing, etc. yeah, i reckon i missed your point... jeff- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - One person who has put in a lot of effort and study of the bizarre takeover of the Republican Party by folks who share some of RDs Feudalistic ideology, is Max Blumenthal, author of Republican Gomorrah. The Feudalists and the Neocons think they can control the Dominionist/Cultists who are the more numerous "base" of the takeover. Blumenthal is a journalist but he does reference the relevant research on authoritarian personality disorders. I am not quick to write off the current mess that is the GOP to a simple continuation of the Goldwater/Reagan vector of conservatism. Something far different has metastasized, in particular concerning the break the rightwing has made with the concepts of democratic elections, and strangely enough, rejection of a kind and gentle translation of the role and teachings of Jesus Christ. Mel Gibson's suffering, bloody, homoerotic images, of Christ, and his lightly veiled reprise as "Wallace" in Braveheart, and all that "end times" bull****, is much more the image that is at the core of the Party now. This stuff is the ooze from which Palin and Huckabee emerge. Anyway, check out what Blumenthal has to say. Dave |
And speaking of Obama's bio...
On Apr 14, 6:19*pm, wrote:
...Unfortunately, it's generally the ones who do begrudge others' choice(s) who wind up making the most noise.... Which, a few thousand deleted words later, still signifies something other than what it's author presumably thinks he meant to say. Oh, irony, thy name is diminutive. g. |
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