I have never considered myself a political person; patriotic, yes--I've been known to shed tears seeing the flag being carried at parades, hearing the National Anthem being sung, and listening to John Wayne recite why he loves America. But for the most part I've never trusted politicans or thought that they had our best interests at heart. Until now. I saw Barack Obama speak at Luther College earlier this year and for the 1st time in my life I felt inspired by a politician, and felt that he really cared about this great nation and its people. I also believe that by electing him president that we will send a message to the rest of the world--that we truly practice what we preach when it comes to diversity and equality for all.
Even if I didn't feel it in my soul that he is what our country needs right now, I'll tell you the biggest reason I won't vote for John McCain: Sarah Palin. The thought of her being one step away from commander-in-chief scares the crap out of me! And McCain choosing her makes me seriously question his ability to make important decisions.
It saddens me to think that this election might come down to pure old racism. I recently received the following email, and it is so true!
THE JUXTAPOSITION OF FACTS... A USEFUL PERSPECTIVE A question of perspective: Obama/Biden vs McCain/Palin. What if things were switched around? Think about it. Would the country's collective point of view be different? Could racism be the culprit? Ponder the following:
What if the Obamas had paraded five children across the stage, including a three month old infant and an unwed, pregnant teenage daughter?
What if John McCain was a former president of the Harvard Law Review?
What if Barack Obama finished fifth from the bottom of his graduating class?
What if McCain had only married once, and Obama was a divorcee?
What if Obama was the candidate who left his first wife after a severe and disfiguring car accident?
What if Obama had met his second wife in a bar and had a long affair while he was still married?
What if Michelle Obama was the wife who not only became addicted to painkillers but also acquired them illegally through her charitable organization?
What if Cindy McCain graduated from Harvard?
What if Obama had been a member of the Keating Five?
What if McCain was a charismatic, eloquent speaker?
What if Obama couldn't read from a teleprompter?
What if Obama was the one who had military experience that included discipline problems and a record of crashing seven planes?
What if Obama was the one who was known to display publicly, on many occasions, a serious anger management problem?
What if Michelle Obama's family had made their money from beer distribution?
What if the Obamas had adopted a white child?
You could easily add to this list. If these questions reflected reality, do you really believe the election numbers would be as close asthey 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.
Educational Backgrounds: Barack Obama: Columbia University - B.A. Political Science with a Specialization in International Relations. Harvard - Juris Doctor(J.D.) Magna Cum Laude
Joseph Biden: University of Delaware - B.A. in History and B.A.in Political Science. Syracuse University College of Law - Juris Doctor(J.D.)
John McCain: United States Naval Academy - Class rank: 894 of 899
Sarah Palin: Hawaii Pacific University - 1 semester. North Idaho College - 2 semesters - general study. University of Idaho - 2semesters - journalism. Matanuska-Susitna College - 1 semester. University of Idaho - 3 semesters - B.A. in Journalism.
Education isn't everything, but this is about the two highest offices in the land as well as our standing in the world. You make the call.
Even if I didn't feel it in my soul that he is what our country needs right now, I'll tell you the biggest reason I won't vote for John McCain: Sarah Palin. The thought of her being one step away from commander-in-chief scares the crap out of me! And McCain choosing her makes me seriously question his ability to make important decisions.
It saddens me to think that this election might come down to pure old racism. I recently received the following email, and it is so true!
THE JUXTAPOSITION OF FACTS... A USEFUL PERSPECTIVE A question of perspective: Obama/Biden vs McCain/Palin. What if things were switched around? Think about it. Would the country's collective point of view be different? Could racism be the culprit? Ponder the following:
What if the Obamas had paraded five children across the stage, including a three month old infant and an unwed, pregnant teenage daughter?
What if John McCain was a former president of the Harvard Law Review?
What if Barack Obama finished fifth from the bottom of his graduating class?
What if McCain had only married once, and Obama was a divorcee?
What if Obama was the candidate who left his first wife after a severe and disfiguring car accident?
What if Obama had met his second wife in a bar and had a long affair while he was still married?
What if Michelle Obama was the wife who not only became addicted to painkillers but also acquired them illegally through her charitable organization?
What if Cindy McCain graduated from Harvard?
What if Obama had been a member of the Keating Five?
What if McCain was a charismatic, eloquent speaker?
What if Obama couldn't read from a teleprompter?
What if Obama was the one who had military experience that included discipline problems and a record of crashing seven planes?
What if Obama was the one who was known to display publicly, on many occasions, a serious anger management problem?
What if Michelle Obama's family had made their money from beer distribution?
What if the Obamas had adopted a white child?
You could easily add to this list. If these questions reflected reality, do you really believe the election numbers would be as close asthey 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.
Educational Backgrounds: Barack Obama: Columbia University - B.A. Political Science with a Specialization in International Relations. Harvard - Juris Doctor(J.D.) Magna Cum Laude
Joseph Biden: University of Delaware - B.A. in History and B.A.in Political Science. Syracuse University College of Law - Juris Doctor(J.D.)
John McCain: United States Naval Academy - Class rank: 894 of 899
Sarah Palin: Hawaii Pacific University - 1 semester. North Idaho College - 2 semesters - general study. University of Idaho - 2semesters - journalism. Matanuska-Susitna College - 1 semester. University of Idaho - 3 semesters - B.A. in Journalism.
Education isn't everything, but this is about the two highest offices in the land as well as our standing in the world. You make the call.
3 comments:
BAM! That is one hell of a post, friend ... I'll be proud to tell people to read it because I think you hit the hammer on the nail.
Thanks so much Shelley...that means a lot!
I also enjoyed this post - can't wait to vote Obama!
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