----- Original Message ----- From: "xponentrob" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Killer Bs (David Brin et al) Discussion" <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, November 07, 2008 4:54 PM Subject: Re: Proud and relieved
> ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Deborah Harrell" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: "Killer Bs (David Brin et al) Discussion" <[email protected]> > Sent: Friday, November 07, 2008 3:20 PM > Subject: Re: Proud and relieved > > >>> Jon Louis Mann <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >> >> <snip> >>> I had obama on a redeye flight from d.c. to chicago two >>> years ago, just before he declared. he was in my section so >>> we chatted for over a half hour. he was very gracious and >>> charismatic... >> >> Oh, cool - he appears to be a really interesting person to talk to, so I >> think I'm envious... >> >> He's putting his team together quickly, as indeed he ought, given the >> gravity of multiple problems we face. Goodwill ought to help out a bit, >> as Rob's cites suggest, but it will certainly call for more than us >> 'shopping 'til we drop.' <snort> >> >> Debbi >> World Relief Maru > > > http://flickr.com/photos/barackobamadotcom/sets/72157608716313371/ > > Lots of special comments for individual pics by viewers. > Answering to my own post again.<G> http://change.gov/newsroom/entry/president_elect_obama_speaks_on_the_eve_of_this_election/ To all who opposed Obama, I invite you to watch his acceptance speech and then hold his feet to the fire if you detect any dissembling or variance from his stated goals. After all, we all elected him based on his rhetoric and it is only fair that we expect him to live up to it. I certainly would be disappointed and angry if he does not work to unify us and lead us to a better future. Side stories I'd like to share: I talked with my Mom the day after the election and she was deliriously excited about Obama's election and how it indicates a break from the past. In the course of our conversation she related several stories of her youth in which institutional racism played a role. Several of the stories were striking, but one made me very proud of her. When my Mom was a teenager, her family went to the neighborhood Baptist church. One Sunday the preacher was railing about how "Niggers will never darken the door of this church". (An African-American family had moved into the neighborhood the week before.) My mother looked around and saw the church-goers nodding approval. So she gets up and leaves, and in the over 50 years since has only entered a Baptist church one time, and that was for a family wedding. The ironic twist is that the neighborhood is now all black and it is unlikely that any white people ever darken its door. The 50's are regarded by so many as some kind of golden age, but for many Americans it was a dark time filled with danger. People of African descent could be killed for little reason and with small hope of justice. And you know, it wasn't just bad for Blacks. This kind of xenophobic culture was harming anyone who was *not white*. It was how some were forced to live their lives, always wary of the white majority and their "unwritten rules". My Mom used to ride the bus to work in downtown Houston. One day and old Black woman got on the bus, she was bent and gnarled, in more than just a little pain. My Mom stood up and offered her her seat. The woman glared at her with hatred and anger. It was several years before Mom understood, but the event stayed with her and came to mind often. My mom was sitting in the "white" section of the bus in the front (actually more like the middle), and her act of attempted kindness was no kindness at all. The old woman would likely been thrown off the bus had she accepted the seat. Events like these illustrate the true reason why Obama's presidency is so historic. We have come a long way with a distance to go before all citizens of our nation are fully empowered as equals. Certainly under the law we are equal, but culturally we suffer with division and inequity. I note that even at my job, when I talk to an African American about the election result, we tend to be careful about who's presence we are in. I see their furtive glances towards other whites and I get the sense they are glad to find a kindred soul in me, a white guy. Other times, I get the feeling that Blacks are reserved, as if unsure they can safely speak their mind to a white guy. (Not that they feel the potential for harm, but that they are unwilling to suffer the burning glance of someone's prejudice. Such things don't always roll off your back and some people are not inclined to have their day ruined by dwelling on hurtful things.) We still have a distance to travel. One of the things that appeals to me about Obama is that he is fearless in the face of these remaining prejudices and is determined to unite us in spite of them. Personally, I believe that even if Obama is just a mediocre president the majority of these "small prejudices" will starve away as people get used to the idea of an elected minority president who's election does not sway the government into some radical or polemic direction. That Obama plans to govern from the center (politically) gives such hope. I'm probably rambling far too much (and we all know my penchant for unclear writing), so this is a good place to stop.<G> xponent Yes We Can Maru rob _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
