Racism in Ohio

Another one of those emails from a Rep. friend...

Nani received another "Obama is a Muslim" email. Here is his response:

Anyway, the Obama "Muslim" bit is a well-known conspiracy theory that has been debunked.

Snopes is an objective Web site dedicated to debunking conspiracy theories, like the one you post below. It doesn't answer all the questions in the email below, but it does answer the ones about where the money came from: student loans and scholarships.

So, if you're down to no monetary support from clandestine parties, then what do you have? Will Obama be somehow loyal to a couple of college roommates (I'm not even going to try to verify or reject this link because it's not important - I've dated a couple of Muslim women, I've had and have Muslim friends, and I'm pretty sure that they weren't terrorists and also pretty sure they did not make me want to turn against my country; also, do we even know these roommates were terrorist supporters? C'mon) that he had spent a year or two with, and then met on a trip? Or will he be loyal to his life-long family, his white mother and grandparents who raised him with Christian values, his current family with a wife and children that, by all appearances, look like model family to me.

Your belief in this conspiracy theory is no different from another friend I have (left of me if you can believe it!) who believes that the U.S. government orchestrated the hijackings and put explosives in the World Trade Center on 9/11 to create a circumstance that would justify war with Iraq, or something along those lines.

Your fears over Obama, like many others in the country, is crippling to this country, and the incitement that McCain/Palin are creating at their rallies is only fanning the flames of division. To continue a previous conversation, I think that if McCain and Palin go down in angry, name-calling defeat, like Palin saying Obama is "Palling around with terrorists," then the chances of Obama being attacked go up with each barrage of nasty rhetoric. At some of their rallies, audience members are responding to the question posed by McCain or Palin, "Who is Barack Obama???" [insert scary Halloween music here]. The audience responds with things like, "Kill him!" "Terrorist!" and "Off with his head!"

Seriously, this is the opposition you support? Are we suddenly living in Iran or something where it is acceptable to threaten the life of a person running for office. That's some caveman shit right there, and McCain and Palin are sick for not rebuking those audience members.

Let's switch the scenario: if McCain/Palin were black and they were part of a Troopergate scandal, had an unwed pregnant teenager, graduated 894/899, had been involved in the Lincoln Savings & Loan debacle, had crashed several jets, had a history of boozing and womanizing, had cheated on a crippled spouse and left her for a sugar mama, had claimed to have foreign policy experience because they could see Russia from a mountain in Alaska, had lied repeatedly about "Thanks, but no thanks on that Bridge to Nowhere," and so on...., do you think they'd have gotten a pass? If Obama had any of these factors come out in this campaign would he be as easily forgiven?

The right is unfairly judging Obama.

And if you go to this link, which is a search for "Obama" on Snopes.com, you'll find 76 different conspiracy theories related to Obama or cohorts or opponents that they've debunked. To show you that Snopes is fair, they've also debunked 47 conspiracy theories related to John McCain. I would encourage you to check there any time you get something that seems like its trying to drum up fear. This site has been keeping America sane for several years now:

On Obama

On McCain

I just hope you'll vote on the issues, for McCain or Obama, but on the issues, not this conspiracy crap. It's below you.

Why I Will Never - NEVER - Be A Republican

It's finally been reported.

This week has seen the McCain campaign, particularly Governor Sarah Palin, incite crowds to shout things such as "terrorist!", "treason!", "kill him!" and now most recently, "off with his head!"

Palin's reckless rhetoric has been called "racially tinged" by the Associated Press, a sentiment echoed by African-American members of Congress. "He's not one of us," she sneers to a 98% white audience.

Well, now - to practically no one's surprise except for the those "we-can't-help-it-if..." Republicans who are in denial about, well, everything - a wack-job Republican McCain supporter got all unhinged, grabbed him his gun, made some threats, and of course, and predictably.... dropped the N-bomb in reference to Obama.

As in, "if you don't get me my voter registration card, I'm gonna shoot you. I need to vote to...," and this forthcoming part is a direct quote, "keep the n*gger out of office."

Classy. Or should I say it with a stutter: "K-K-K-Klassy."

It's bad enough that we know these assholes exist. What is really worse is when a two-bit hack politician like Sarah Palin revs said assholes up for political theater. It is fucking dangerous. Joe Biden is right. Forty-five years ago, we had a president assassinated. Let's just be honest for a moment: the thought of the first black president is not going to sit well in some "fringe" circles in America.

And what Palin is doing that is so disgusting, so vile, and so perverse, is basically mainstreaming that radical ideology. Think about it - sure, a Republican crowd is going to boo the opponent for his votes, his record, and even who he is.

But "kill him?" "Off with his head?" A "terrorist?"

And no rebuke by Palin or McCain?

No establishing any boundaries on crowd behavior?

Instead, they whip supporters into an irrational frenzy, and then wash their hands of the whole situation. Whatever happens, happens. "Hey, we can't control it!"

Except you kinda can. You can keep the racially-loaded remarks to yourself. You can denounce those who are getting - clearly - out of control. You can control your own rhetoric on the campaign trail.

But, the silver lining is that it is exposing the Republican party for the radical hatemongers that they really are. I wish I could remember who said it, but whomever it was, described the modern Republican Party as nothing more than a collection of hate-objects - i.e., hate everyone who isn't just like you - gays, immigrants, blacks, foreigners, intellectuals (especially intellectuals), and so on.

There's been a lot of open hand-wringing about the future of the Republican Party, and about how it has to reconstitute itself. Mostly, this is in reference to the current ideological bankruptcy of the party. But here's what I'd suggest: dump the elements that take pride in how dumb, hateful, and thuggish they are. Your ideas may actually see the light of day.

As for me, I think this shit is nuts. It's bat-shit crazy. No amount of tax cuts will ever convince me to associate myself with such people.(*)

(*) Note, I mean politically as a member of the same party. I know a lot of Republicans who are good people, some who are even great people (much better human beings than me in some instances) and I am proud to call them friends. However, I cannot EVER condone or be a party-by-association to the kind of behavior shown by Republican McCain supporters in recent days. Simply put, cheering for the death of a political opponent is absolutely unacceptable. It is a line in the fucking sand. You don't cross it. This is America, not some God-forsaken third-world territory masquerading as a nation that is governed by whatever warlord happens to survive the week's slaughter. Grow the fuck up! And Governor Palin, shut the fuck up!

Is this "Main Street"?

Some Georgia Racists Afraid of Newly-Registered Georgia Voters

I read an article in the AJC today about the 27% increase in newly-registered voters who are black over the 13% increase in newly voters who are while, in Georgia. An interesting statistic and one that hopefully, though unlikely, will help Obama pull Georgia.

But perhaps more interesting than the article was the reader dialogue that followed, filled with some particularly nasty comments from more than a few, and a great response by one, among many others:

By totheobama-haters

October 4, 2008 12:46 PM | Link to this

Dear Sambo,ShuckyJive,Bob and any other racist IDIOTS in Georgia,

Lets see how Racism Works,

What if John McCain were a former president of the Harvard Law Review? What if Barack Obama finished fifth from the bottom of his graduating class?

What if McCain were still married to the first woman he said ‘I do’ to? What if Obama were the candidate who left his first wife after she no longer measured up to his standards?

What if Michelle Obama were a wife who not only became addicted to pain killers, but acquired them illegally through her charitable organization? What if Cindy McCain graduated from Harvard?

What if Obama were a member of the Keating-5? What if McCain were a charismatic, eloquent speaker?

If these questions reflected reality, do you really believe the election numbers would be as close as they are?

This is what racism does. It covers up, rationalizes and minimizes positive qualities in one candidate and emphasizes negative qualities in another when there is a color difference.

You are The Boss… which team would you hire?

With America facing historic debt, 2 wars, stumbling health care, a weakened dollar, all-time high prison population, mortgage crises, bank foreclosures, etc.

Educational Background:

Obama: Columbia University - B.A. Political Science with a Specialization in International Relations. Harvard - Juris Doctor (J.D.) Magna Cum Laude

Biden: University of Delaware - B.A. in History and B.A. in Political Science. Syracuse University College of Law - Juris Doctor (J.D.)

vs.

McCain: United States Naval Academy - Class rank: 894 of 899

Palin: Hawaii Pacific University - 1 semester North Idaho College - 2 semesters - general study University of Idaho - 2 semesters - journalism Matanuska-Susitna College - 1 semester University of Idaho - 3 semesters - B.A. in Journalism

Now, which team are you going to hire ?

PS: What if Barack Obama had an unwed, pregnant teenage daughter?

Racists have a way of trying to make a good man look bad, and a bad man look good. You all should be ashamed!