I thought I had escaped this sort of enlightened racism, until recently when I was approached by a fellow regular at the local coffee shop.

“I hate to put you on the spot…” the gentleman said. “But I gotta ask: What do you think about Herman Cain.”

Personally, I don’t spend much time thinking about Herman Cain. But just a few days earlier, I had listened to an episode of Rachael Maddow where she made a compelling argument for Cain as political satire.

I chuckled though, and responded, “I think he’s a joke, pretending to run for presendent as a PR campaign for his new book.”

“Oh?” I could see the wheels grinding, the man was trying to process what I had said. “Why do you think that?”

I explained that Cain had made references to “the great poet” Pokemon and his 9-9-9 tax plan was something out of a video game. His campaign didn’t make sense to me and, as far as I was concerned, Cain was no more likely to run for president than Donald Trump.

In one ear and out the other.

“Y’know, I like him,” the gentleman said. And then he launched into a rambling tyrade of Republican talking points, why he liked or disliked various Blacks in politics and his experience with “minorities” from his military days.

While some might have engaged the man further, I decided it best to just let him get this out of his system. He hadn’t even really listened to what I said and if he had, it was clear, he really didn’t care. He wanted to have a discussion about Black things with a Black person, and I was the only one he knew.

But he didn’t want to talk. He wanted me to listen. And he couldn’t understand why I didn’t agree that these black politicians were so great…even though the only ones I knew of were President Obama and Herman Cain.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t believe the man is a racist. We had had small conversations about various things in our visits to the coffee shop. But I was reminded that while most of us are unaware of our prejudices, we are far from being a “post racial” society.

Yes, I’m Black. I’m also American. I live about as far from the epicenter of Black culture in California as one can get, being behind the “Orange Curtain.” And yet, somehow, this man thought I was the authority on all things African American.

The problem as I see it, is that as a society, the US is still very much a segregated nation — and no one wants to talk about it. The result is racist behavior born of ignorance. And people of color being treated like a novelty as opposed to regular citizens of a multicultural nation.

It was the day the government almost shut down and Trump was on MSNBC’s Today using the theory that President Obama was not a citizen as a ploy for ratings.

And I thought about this thread I keep hearing in the political code, about America being for “real Americans” and working to make American the great nation it once was.

I cried because I know how great this country is and can be. Because I am an example of the American Dream and because I am disturbed by the racist political code that implies that Barak Obama isn’t a “real American.” I cried because I think about the nostalgia for the 50s and what seems like nostalgia for the pre-Civil Rights era.

Do we really want to go backwards, returning to a time of inequality for women and people of color? It wasn’t until the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that schools were desegregated (though one could argue that schools are still segregated, but by economics rather than race), and gender became a protected class under the law. The first Black American, and a woman, Shirley Chisolm ran for President in 1972 and in 1981 the first woman was appointed to the Supreme Court.

As many Civil Rights scholars will point out, civil rights and women’s rights are and have always been inextricably linked. And it is clear that women are being targeted with both the attack on labor unions (which exempted the male dominated industries such as fire and police), and in the current backlash against women’s health and reproductive rights.

Are women not “real Americans?” Are our grandparents, who were among the first to feel the tightening of the social safety net, not “real Americans?” Are poor Americans less American because they are poor? Is the 44th President — and the first African American President of the United States — not a real American because he is “African American?”

What of all the people who immigrate to the US thinking of the Statue of Liberty’s declaration to bring the cold, tired, hungry and huddled masses yearning to breathe free?

Is it that the United States of America is no longer the land of infinite possibility and opportunity?

I cried because it became very clear to me that there really are people who are enemies to my liberty and wish to reverse many of the things that make this country so great. People who would disparage the first black President with implications that his blackness makes him less American than his predecessors. People who would rather pit working people against each other, while they deny us the right to equal protection under the law.

Then I remembered that it was women who fought for women’s rights and workers who fought for workers rights and African Americans who fought for desegregation. It is the responsibility of those who value freedom to be ever vigilant to guard that freedom from those who would strip it away.

And all I can do is hold on to my deep and enduring hope and trust in the human spirit. Just as I was raised with the knowledge that people fought for the rights I enjoy today, my generation is being challenged to a new civil rights battle. Who knows how the battle will play out, but I know that I am read to do my part to fight for my freedom and the freedom of future generations.

And why wouldn’t they feel that way? What with entire school districts being fired in an effort to circumvent seniority rights and Wisconson governor Scott Walker’s illegal union stripping bill, teachers are being scapegoated all over the country.

School teachers are accused of living high on the tax-payer dollar hog and colleges have been branded as bastions of liberal elitism.

What’s wrong with this picture?

Why is it that after granting huge tax breaks to the richest people in the country — tax breaks that we could not afford — how is it that there can be a political movement to make cuts to front line services like education?

How is it ok to say people should save for retirement and then act like these people — who have saved for retirement, by paying into pension plans and social security — are robbing us so they should be stripped of those benefits because the people in government don’t understand how to balance a budget?

Why should we sit by and watch as the American Dream continues to be stripped away?

I’m not talking about the American Dream of consuming as much as possible and owning more home — and car — than you can afford. And heck, the dream of job security has been more of an illusion for the last decade.

The American Dream is all about opportunity. The opportunity for a good education and socio-economic mobility. Where does that fit into stripping the funding for education, firing as many teachers as possible and then branding public sector workers as parasites? Have we really made so little progress that we don’t understand that access to good education is vital to democracy?

What’s scary is that this is all part of what appears to be a conservative backlash against all of the social justice policies implemented over the last 50 years. People like myself have been afforded opportunities we probably wouldn’t have had, if not for the never ending civil rights struggle in this country.

Here’s the thing though: those opportunities are what the American Dream is all about. And education is the great equalizer.

Makes you wonder if the current political climate is about “budget deficit” and “returning the country to its prior glory,” or instead, all out warfare on the American Dream.

Image via Perfecto Insecto

But back to my point, I was terribly disappointed to find out a picture sent out by a local mayor, depicting the lawn of the White House as a watermelon patch. Are you fucking kidding me?! How is this appropriate in any way shape or form?

I’ll let you decide for yourself and even if you think I’m wrong you are more than welcome to let me know in the comments:

I was disturbed to find that there are actually people who really do not to get why one might be offended by this image. They say those of us who are offended are looking for reasons to be so. Just for the record, there is historical context and reason for the offending in this case. What with our new African American president, the caricatures of the black minstrel with the big pink lips eating watermelon…Seriously? There’s no reason to be upset or be disappointed in a public official who circulates something like that around his office?

There is actually a term for people who think racism is dead: enlightened racist. Yes, I know its harsh and I’d hate to think any of my friends (virtual or otherwise) are racists, but the fact is that’s what you are, if you can completely ignore racism and accuse the target of overreacting…sigh

Like I said, I don’t look for reasons to be offended. I was actually more bothered by the defense than the actual image itself. By the fact that people said that it should just be ignored. By this standard, this racist mayor would have been allowed to stay in office and that city would have reverted back to 40 years ago.

Seriously, 40 years is not that long folks…my grandmother was only a teen-ager during the desegregation civil rights movement. Her grand parents had been slaves and like so many African Americans, we have no way to trace our ancestry because we don’t know where we come from. Obviously we have made huge progress between then and now, so I don’t want to harp on the negative history. At the same time, the dismissive attitudes can take their toll.

Fine, don’t be offended. But don’t tell me I should just get over it, or ignore it. Don’t pretend that it can’t be racist because there are no racists anymore. Its not true and it makes you seem even more racist and ignorant than the person who created the image or circulated it. You, dear enlightened racist, are a barrier to progress with your turning a blind eye and denier syndrome. Racism is still very real and depicting the white house – currently inhabited by our first black president – is proof that as far as we have come, we still have a long way to go.

I keep thinking about the amount of pressure Obama must be feeling. So much of our hope for change has been projected onto him. I’ve even heard a few of my neighbors talking about how so much was going to change for blacks…

Its kinda sad that on the day Obama was elected, the passing of Prop. 8 cast a dark cloud over the celebration and this time, apparently, it is the stocks that continue to plummet…that and the unfortunate Kennedy seizure during the inaugural luncheon.

These are not the things I’ll remember though. I’ll remember the palpable excitement and anxiety…That moment when I thought I saw just a glimmer of nerves when Obama was making that walk towards the stage to give his oath. He was so cool though, focused…I saw it though, a slight glimmer of “Oh my GOD! This is it!”

Ask me if I remember what he said and I’d have to admit that I haven’t processed it all yet. I haven’t gotten past the inflections in his voice, the way Obama speaks with such sincerity…

Hope indeed.

In many ways I’m just waiting to see what shape Obama’s presidency will take. The problems he has inherited are massive and in my mind, practically insurmountable. This is the perfect environment for Obama to show what he’s got; do the job he was hired to do.

It seems so strange to think of it that way, as a job…truly it is one of the gig of a lifetime, but it is after all a job. The office is said to age people incredibly quickly. With so much work to do, it will be interesting to see what Obama looks like after his second term.

I want to see what he’s going to do, see how the American people respond to his leadership.

I am…hopeful.

Now I’m all for people being encouraged to participate in the civic process. The only problem is that the average citizen is not informed enough to make snap judgments about politics – let alone legislation – as they walk into or out of the grocery store. Combine lack of information with the fact that signing these petitions is one of the places that our voting power is real, and you have a recipe for disaster.

When I think about the last few voting cycles and the proposed legislation, and how when I read the text and analysis, most of these proposed bills were very poorly writen. They often focus on some lofty idea, but when it comes to planning, implementation and fiscal cost, the initiatives are seriously lacking.

And how do these bills end up on the ballot? Because people sign while rushing out of the store. Having done no real research, and only reading the tiny summary presented on the petition. It’s sad that one of our most powerful political decisions is, more often than not, made in ignorance. Then we wonder why…

I don’t sign because I know that at the time of presentation, I usually don’t have the information to make such an important and simple decision. I want to make sure that I use my power wisely, and wish others would be equally prudent.

Next time you’re walking out of the grocery store and someone asks you to sign a petition, pleading with you to perform your civic duty…Before making a decision you don’t fully understand, just write down the name of the bill and go look it up. The solicitor won’t get his commision for your signature, but if you should decide to sign later, you rest assured knowing that you are truly an informed voter.

And you can imagine my surprise when I reply to my sister’s text that I had voted against the proposition and she shoots back, “What’s up with that?”

I’m thinking duh…Isn’t it obvious?

Apparently it wasn’t to her. “Don’t you believe in marriage the way God intended?”

Oh wow…here we go…

I felt my anger rise at her bigotry, and even more so because I remember a time when she was tolerant, if not accepting of alternate lifestyles. Now she’s voting to write discrimination and hatred into the Constitution and getting angry at me for not doing the same?

She sent me some shit about the sanctity of marriage being under attack from “the enemy” (read: the devil) and that it had nothing to do with religeon but God.

While I do understand the distinction, my understanding of what God intends varies slightly from what so many, more indoctrinated Christians believe. I’ve read the Old Testament; the stories of waring tribes, the laundry list of ritual, tales of tragedy and hope…

I’ve read the New Testament…The gospels tell of a man who had fully embraced the God within and all of the power that came along with that, while encouraging others to do the same. He and his followers performed miracles, raised the dead, healed the sick, gave sight to the blind…but it was really about the faith…We could all do these things and greater if only we embraced the power of God within.

Jesus…this son of God – spirit made flesh – also refused to judge people. Well, that’s not completely true. He did toss a few tables and chairs in the temple in frustration with the clergy…But when those self-righteous busy bodies wanted his permission to stone an adulteress, he ignored them, instead doodling on the ground. When pressed, he challenged them to examine themselves first.

What does all of this matter? Because it’s about the compassion and love for others regardless of their lifestyle choices; regardless of whether or not you agreed or thought it was right in the eyes of God. And people, Christians, seem to forget this compassion in their quest to save the souls of the nations. Instead of focusing on their own lives, and being an example of God through the way they lead their lives, they wish instead to impose their doctrine and dogma on others.

Well, my vote against Prop 8 had nothing to do with being Christian. It had nothing to do with whether or not I agree with same sex marriages or the redefining of marriage. It was purely about freedom and compassion. It was about tolerance and acceptance.

What business is it of mine to deny two people the right of being legally married; of validating their love with a promise of forever? This kind of dedication to love does not erode my sense of commitment, it had no baring on my right to marry. The ads against the proposition talked about kids learning marriage in schools; a bogus scare tactic. Fear is the enemy, not the validation of love between two people.

The vote to pass this horrible discriminatory bill has chipped away at our collective freedoms, in favor of religious fear and bigotry. Way to go folks…

I’m truly disappointed…

When I decided who my presidential candidate was, I took several things into account: principle, character, heart and policy. I chose Barak Obama because I see that he truly has a heart for the middle class, working person. He believes in the American Dream because he is living it. He knows and understands that we workers are the nation’s economic wheel. That the reason for the current economic collapse is because the middle class has been bled dry by weasels in the finance industry who were allowed to run amok by the Bush administration. He will not let the country continue disregarding its people in the name of faux national security. And while there are points on which I strongly disagree with Obama (namely his support of Israeli Zionism), I will vote for him because I still think he is the right person for the job.

When I watched the debates over the last couple weeks I noticed that neither of the candidates really said much with substance. I was however, disgusted by John McCain’s "I’ve been around for a long time" cadence combined with his co-opting of the "campaign for change." On top of this, he selected a running mate who doesn’t know the office she’s running for is part of the Executive Branch or what the Bush Doctrine is, who makes up lies about the other candidate’s financial plan because she doesn’t know that only 3% of the population makes over $200k annually and whose idea of a debate is sticking to the talking points given her by her campaign managers (regardless of the question asked). I’d say we, as a nation, are screwed if team McCain/Palin gets elected to the White House.

It frustrates me that there are people who will vote for them. Who actually believe the bile that came out of Palin’s mouth last Thursday and are comforted by old man McCain. It saddens me to think that there are people who will vote for McCain just to vote against the black man and that there are people who will vote for Obama for the same reason. Although both positions are symptoms of ignorance, the later at least indicates some sort of hope on the part of certain sectors of the population, while the former is a symptom of racism. Hopefully the educated, silent majority to exercise their voices come Novemeber and allow Barak Obama to be the catalyst for change this nation is in dire need of.

Last night’s debate was rather disappointing. From the very first question, I waited and waited for Obama or McCain to say something substantive, but it was all fluff. Despite my general disenchantment, I still thought Barak Obama was the overall winner of the debate, for several reasons.

The cornerstone of John McCain’s arguments was Barak Obama’s lack of experience. Over and over, McCain reminded us about his war history and that he had been around for a long time. He also said Obama did not understand in response to Obama’s disagreement on almost every issue.

Besides the fact that disagreement is not the same as misunderstanding, what threw a wrench in McCain’s plan was when he said that Obama didn’t understand the difference between a strategy (the overall plan to achieve a goal/objective) and a tactic (specific implementation of a strategy). Not only was it pedantic, but if you paid careful attention to the examples used, McCain was the one who got the two mixed up.

In terms of the war, individual battles and such would be a tactic. McCain had the terms reversed, calling a specific battle a strategy. I probably wouldn’t have paid attention to a little detail like that, but McCain harped and harped on the fact that Obama just didn’t understand and then in his example, he was wrong. Unfortunately, most people don’t know the difference between the two terms (overall plan vs plan implementation) and missed that slip up; especially since even the analysts didn’t pick it up.

The other thing that really tilted the tables in Obama’s favor was McCain’s effort to blame people who didn’t want to invade Iraq in the first place, for the failure of said invasion. He called the current condition a “fragile victory,” saying that Obama’s lack of understanding and insistence on pulling the troops out of Iraq, would lead to Al Qaida setting up camp once the troops were gone.

So let me get this straight: The whole point of invading Iraq (or how it was sold rather) was because that’s where Al Qaida was hiding out, stacking weapons of mass destruction (WMDs). Since the invasion, we’ve learned that not only were there no WMDs but there was also no Al Qaida. Toss on the fact that the Iraqi people obviously don’t like American occupation of their country, and it becomes apparent that the failure was in deciding to invade Iraq in the first place. It was based on lies and a large reason for why our national spending is out of control.

What do you think?