The greatest American moral values remain liberty
and justice for all! Those are the moral values we had in mind
when voting against the racist, war-mongering, corporate-pig George
W. Bush. Feeling the Thunder
The BC cover story of November
4, 2004, "Concede Nothing to Bush - Black Consensus
Remains Intact" caused Okello Olok to become exuberant.
Well, it now seems that we are truly heading somewhere somehow
despite all the tall walls built around us. Our silent voices
seems to be heard and heard loud. You truly can not push a determined
soul down for good...it has been a long walk and the white people
are beginning to properly feel our presence in the world.
The article (Black consensus remain intact...) uplifted my
soul. Though I don't live in America, I can feel the thunder
right across the ocean. Feeling you are the most hated living
thing every time you step out of your house in a white world
is not just threatening but, morally sinks you too. I always
walk with my head up in the air and with smile on my face...why?
If someone wants to hate you so much they are willing to go the
extent of suppressing your rights, that shows how powerful you
must be and what a formidable strength they see right inside
of you.
We have learned and we can play by the rules but, we do have
the edge because our hearts are pure and our minds are not tarnished
and we are still underestimated.
How wonderful!!!
A reader named Jim also sees a bright side.
The swelling white Republican base that
triumphed on Election Day, is a nightmare .....but Mr. Rove's "nightmare" technique
to achieve the Republicans' hollow "victory" is not
new. It is a technique built on fear.....specifically (in today's
world) ethnic fear (Muslims and Islam) and is the same technique
used to shackle African Americas since they first arrived in
this country as slaves. It is the foundation stone that segregation
is built upon....Create an external "threat" based
on prejudice of any kind and hammer on that issue until it drives
a wedge between peoples....
Creating fear, hate and division among peoples is the foundation of Mr. Rove's
evil plan . It will not/must not continue to succeed. I feel that unity among
African Americans is building (as you do) and if that is followed by political
activism then success will be achieved.
The philosopher Hegel advocated this same recipe for worldly "success" and
it has been used many times since it first appeared in the public discourse.
"The times they are a changin"......truer words were never spoken.....
Yes, something is in the air. Ain't felt like this in a very
long time.
Cherishing freedom, liberty and justice
And M. Dianne Shatin of Levittown, PA is prepared for the long
battle ahead.
I believe that it is African Americans who stand for truth and
justice; freedom and liberty....
I believe it is African Americans who cherish, more than anyone,
freedom, liberty, and justice. I believe it is African Americans
once again who will remain steadfast in our uphill battle for
free and fair elections in America.
It is the soul of African Americans that never, ever surrenders;
endures, and never surrenders. When I was a little girl, I remember
the first time I saw someone with a skin tone different than
mine; I guess I asked about this and some old lady told me that
just as G*d made different colored flowers, so G*d made people
of different colors. It was simply, clear, and true. As I grew
older I came to understand how different white and black people
are from one another based on the black experience of enslavement
and oppression. Black people had unbreakable faith; a people
who could find hope and inspiration just around the bend; on
top of the mountain; or around the other side of the mountain;
while enslaved; mocked; oppressed; harassed; beaten; followed;
spat upon; and condemned to cruel suffering for so long. And
today, at 52, I have come to realize that it is the African Americans
in the United States who today, again, light our path; our guardians
of our democracy; bearers of freedom's torch through the darkness
of this oppressive theocratic totalitarian white power regime.
I stand with you today and all the way in the battles that lie
ahead. Just as the Buffalo Soldiers, we will fight, we will overcome,
we will win for there is no option. I stand with you until the
day I die.
Rowan Kaiser is Ready for Revolution.
I am willing to give up my right to vote. After observing the
election, and seeing African-Americans vote with a mere 11% for
Bush, I would like to say, as a white person, that we should
not vote.
I envision this scenario. Someone gets up to make a speech,
saying "Ladies
and Gentlemen, the United States of America, as an apology for decades of
disenfranchisement and centuries of slavery, has decided that the blacks
in America will get to chose the direction of the nation from this point
on. After all, since they've been screwed over the most*, they should get
the chance to make things right. We're gonna sit this one out. Have fun!"
Imagine a presidential contest between Cynthia McKinney and
Barack Obama, with the corporate media determining that one
of them is now a liberal and
the other conservative, then evenly dividing the electorate between them,
as the media must do. Maybe Alan Keyes will run a spoiler campaign, and people
are going to wonder who will move to the right to take Keyes voters. Maybe
white politicians would actually speak to the needs of the people who have
the most needs so that they could get elected, instead of following the imaginary "middle
class" to which well over half of Americans think they belong.
I might have hope for America. But sadly, I won't be disenfranchised anytime
soon.
*I grant that American Indians have a fairly valid claim to screwed-overness,
therefore they should be allowed to vote as well.
Living under dumb corrupt idiots
Vernon S.Burton of San Leandro, CA thinks the election results
casts a shadow on the IQ of white folks.
As I ponder the results of the Nov.2nd election,I keep coming
back to the question:What is wrong with White Folk in America?
How can this many people vote to continue living under the control
of some of the dumbest, most corrupt idiots I have seen in my
lifetime?
Has the intelligence bar in this country been set so low as
to render this many people incapable of seeing when they are
being conned?
Well no one can blame the inevitable debacle of the next four
years on Black Folk, most of us went for the lesser of the two
evils.
And Bert Adams is down, but not out.
It is difficult to understand how Bush's so-called morality
can measure up against the administration's immorality of job
loss, environmental destruction, deficit, corporate crime, wealthy
tax breaks, and fiscal deficit.
Societal morality is infinitely more important than so-called
personal faith. . . .
It is hard not to be too discouraged to continue working for
justice. But you (and I) must work to change this political/
economic/media-driven world of racism and injustice.
Thanks for all your efforts - keep it up. And I'll do whatever
I can to help.
Wimping out
Margaret Kimberley's Freedom Rider column in  on October
14, 2004 entitled "A Desperate White House" rang
the bell for Karen Parks of Los Angeles.
Thank you for saying ("The outcome of this election depends
on the willingness of a wimpy political party to suddenly show
some courage."), and in print, no less, what no one seems
willing to say to our Democratic leaders and other elected officials.
Why they haven't stood up and shouted long before this (including
John Kerry, to be perfectly honest) is well beyond my understanding.
I have been appalled in recent years at the lack of dissent among
Democrats in the House and Senate ... and was brought to tears
by what I had not seen before, when I saw in Fahrenheit 9/11
that not one Democratic senator would stand with the African-American
congress people after the sham of the Florida presidential election.
How they can even look their colleagues or constituents in the
eye after that miserable lack of guts is well beyond my understanding.
I certainly hope we, and they, have learned something .... and
that your words ring in the ears of every Democrat in public
office.
Thank you, again, for being a clear voice. I hope you are heard.
Bob Reynolds of Orange Park, Florida enjoyed Margaret's recognizing
the coaching Bush received electronically during the debates.
A fine analysis.
On the question of Bush and the "boxes on the back",
stills from all three debates show this. At the end of the last
debate when the families came on stage he was forced to turn
his back to the cameras and a rectangular shape shows clearly.
What is interesting is that Kerry patted Bush on the back.
Was he checking?
I would think that the Kerry campaign had grounds to complain
to the Debate Commission that Bush may have violated the agreements
which specifically prohibited any electronic devices. They chose
not to do so, and Kerry and the others have not even made a joke
of it. On Meet the Press Bob Shrum had the opportunity at the
end of the interview to comment on it, but instead just grinned.
This occurred when Russett asked Ken Mehlman about it and Mehlman
blew it off as a joke.
This failure of the Kerry campaign to attack at every opportunity
is incomprehensible. Since the GOP misses no opportunity to attack
and to distort Kerry's comments and positions it seems stupid
not to retaliate. I learned as a kid in a tough neighborhood
people will keep hitting you if you don't hit back.
The only explanation I have gotten on the Kerry campaign tactics
was from a knowledgeable source who suggested that a counter
attack would be misconstrued and distorted by the media particularly
Fox. That the Dems no longer can get a fair hearing in the media.
That's probably true, but does not mean you cede the field
to the enemy?
We know now the wimpy party didn't show the courage needed to
fight for Peace, Jobs and Justice.
On October
28th, Sister Kimberley anticipated vote theft and nervously
considered packing a bag for a move to the north. From Louisiana
Gertrude F. Treadway echoed the thought.
I'll be right with you (if only in my dreams)! I was up in
Canada during the month of August. This was my first trip there,
and it is truly the beautiful, peaceful country. It's government
has four parties, also.
Our country has truly reached a sad impasse
in the electoral process. I pray John Kerry wins, but I agree
we'll have to work
hard to get him on the "straight and narrow" (or wide)
and keep him there. I have never worked so hard to help elect
a Democrat as I have this year. Perhaps we were just lazy during
the last election, and were too sure of Al Gore's success. Without
the Florida debacle he would have prevailed. The Republicans
are trying to pull an upset again. This time it looks like both
Ohio and Florida are in line for voter suppression.
Just had to get this all off my chest. Thanks for your article.
reader
P. Roberts says he is more than dreaming about Canada.
I have to applaud your piece on the new America
(read: the new Evil Empire) that exists today because of bush....or,
as I prefer
to call him, the Chimp and his flying monkey corps........Your
observations on the situation at hand is, I'm afraid, right on
the money.....people who have found their brains (and subsequently
their heart) from this lemming-like mentality are probably like
you....packing their bags to head up to Canada. The Chimp has
made it almost intolerable (if you are middle class or lower
middle class or worse) to live here unless you're a racist, xenophobic,
sexist, rich republicanazi meathead because in his delusions
of grandeur, he wants nothing but people who will follow him
over the brink, because he says so.......nowdays where the world
looks at us not in awe or for inspiration, but with loathing
and disgust, the chimp still looks out of his beady little eyes
and says "either you're with us or against us"?????
What planet is this guy from? Hasn't it been bad enough to make
war on the world, without rubbing the other countries' faces
in the mire? And please don't get me started on the New Toms..........
I really do believe that I will be retiring in Montreal...........
In either case, your story was wonderful and insightful. Please
keep up the voice; in this age of people being silenced, it takes
true courage to speak the truth.
As this issue is being published, Margaret continues to reside
in New York City.
In case you missed it
Author and Filmmaker, Michael
Moore has a number of reasons not to slit your wrists.
- It is against the law for George W. Bush to run for president
again.
- Bush's victory was the NARROWEST win for a sitting president
since Woodrow Wilson in 1916.
- The only age group in which the majority voted for Kerry was
young adults (Kerry: 54%, Bush: 44%), proving once again that
your parents are always wrong and you should never listen to
them.
- In spite of Bush's win, the majority of Americans still think
the country is headed in the wrong direction (56%), think the
war wasn't worth fighting (51%), and don't approve of the job
George W. Bush is doing (52%). (Note to foreigners: Don't try
to figure this one out. It's an American thing, like Pop Tarts.)
- The Republicans will not have a filibuster-proof
60-seat majority in the Senate. If the Democrats do their job,
Bush won't be able
to pack the Supreme Court with right-wing ideologues. Did I say "if
the Democrats do their job?" Um, maybe better to scratch
this one.
- Michigan voted for Kerry! So did the entire Northeast, the
birthplace of our democracy. So did 6 of the 8 Great Lakes States.
And the whole West Coast! Plus Hawaii. Ok, that's a start. We've
got most of the fresh water, all of Broadway, and Mt. St. Helens.
We can dehydrate them or bury them in lava. And no more show
tunes!
- 88% of Bush's support came from white voters. In 50 years,
America will no longer have a white majority. Hey, 50 years isn't
such a long time! If you're ten years old and reading this, your
golden years will be truly golden and you will be well cared
for in your old age.
- Five more African Americans were elected as members of Congress,
including the return of Cynthia McKinney of Georgia. It's always
good to have more blacks in there fighting for us and doing the
job our candidates can't.
- The CEO of Coors was defeated for Senate in Colorado. Drink
up!
- Bush is now a lame duck president. He will have no greater
moment than the one he's having this week. It's all downhill
for him from here on out -- and, more significantly, he's just
not going to want to do all the hard work that will be expected
of him. It'll be like everyone's last month in 12th grade --
you've already made it, so it's party time! Perhaps he'll treat
the next four years like a permanent Friday, spending even more
time at the ranch or in Kennebunkport. And why shouldn't he?
He's already proved his point, avenged his father and kicked
our ass.
- Should Bush decide to show up to work and
take this country down a very dark road, it is also just as
likely that either
of the following two scenarios will happen: a) Now that he doesn't
ever need to pander to the Christian conservatives again to get
elected, someone may whisper in his ear that he should spend
these last four years building "a legacy" so that history
will render a kinder verdict on him and thus he will not push
for too aggressive a right-wing agenda; or b) He will become
so cocky and arrogant -- and thus, reckless -- that he will commit
a blunder of such major proportions that even his own party will
have to remove him from office.
- There are nearly 300 million Americans -- 200 million of them
of voting age. We only lost by three and a half million! That's
not a landslide -- it means we're almost there. Imagine losing
by 20 million. If you had 58 yards to go before you reached the
goal line and then you barreled down 55 of those yards, would
you stop on the three yard line, pick up the ball and go home
crying -- especially when you get to start the next down on the
three yard line? Of course not! Buck up! Have hope! More sports
analogies are coming!!!
- Finally and most importantly, over 55 million
Americans voted for the candidate dubbed "The #1 Liberal in the Senate." That's
more than the total number of voters who voted for either Reagan,
Bush I, Clinton or Gore. Again, more people voted for Kerry than
Reagan. If the media are looking for a trend it should be this
-- that so many Americans were, for the first time since Kennedy,
willing to vote for an out-and-out liberal. The country has always
been filled with evangelicals -- that is not news. What IS news
is that so many people have shifted toward a Massachusetts liberal.
In fact, that's BIG news. Which means, don't expect the mainstream
media, the ones who brought you the Iraq War, to ever report
the real truth about November 2, 2004. In fact, it's better that
they don't. We'll need the element of surprise in 2008.
Send your e-Mail to [email protected].
Thank you very much for your readership and keep writing.
gratefully
acknowledges the following Websites for sending visitors our way:
http://mathaba.net/
http://youwillanyway.blogspot.com/
http://www.blackelectorate.com/
http://www.buzzflash.com/
http://www.liberaloasis.com/
http://www.okayplayer.com/
http://www.airamericaradio.com/
http://www.jsums.edu/
http://membersc.blackplanet.com/
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/
http://www.commondreams.org/
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