miles behind

thoughts

"the election of obama shows that racism has been overcome in america." did the election of morales show that racism was overcome in bolivia? did the election of chavez show that racism was overcome in venezuela? did the election of mandela show that racism was overcome in south africa? have the elections of african presidents in africa helped to feed, house, and heal the millions of impoverished black africans, hence ending systemic racial and class oppression in africa? will it matter to the impoverished in afghanistan and pakistan that they will now have the privilege of being bombed by a biracial imperialist, as opposed to a white one? president karzai of afghanistan called on the new president to end civilian casualities there. how this can be done while expanding the war is quite the problem. this monday, yet another wedding in afghanistan was bombed, "apparently" by american forces. we have heard obama say that a nuclear iran is not acceptable. will he now say that bombing weddings in afghanistan is not acceptable? maybe i missed it, but i haven't heard a comment from him on the subject as of yet. how are we supposed to defend the "sanctity" of marriage if we insist on blowing up weddings? perhaps the only people getting married in afghanistan are al qaeda operatives. is increasing the troop levels in afghanistan an example of "change we can believe in?" will the thousands of dead that will result from a deepening of our bombardment in afghanistan accept their deaths because the rise of a biracial man to the american presidency has made a number of americans feel good?

we have heard a lot about martin luther king lately, but not what king stood for. you would never know from listening to john lewis and jesse jackson that king was a radical pacifist who once said that the u.s government was the most violent nation on the earth. you would never know that king, at the end of his life, had become a democratic socialist who was attempting to lead a multiracial poor people's movement. absent from all of this is concrete ideas. we are just supposed to feel good and give ourselves a big hug. that has its place, but it will not stop one bomb from dropping, it will not build one home, it will not insure one person, and it won't free one innocent man from prison. if king were alive, he would point all of this out and more. surely, he would be happy that a majority of americans had chosen a black man for president, but he would insist that obama, like any other leader, be pushed to implement a series of radical initiatives to help the masses of oppressed, and he would criticize the plethora of obama's pro-war and pro-corporate policies.

america has always been a form over content country, and we have shown that yet again. in this case, we have separated race from racial consciousness. obama, we are told, "transcends" race. as opposed to who? the millions of blacks in poverty? the millions in prison or on parole? the millions without work or health insurance? a significant section of white america was sufficiently impressed by obama's "transcendence" to vote for him. the question is, why should anyone have to transcend their race? what does that even mean? obviously, there is a way you are supposed to look, there is a way you are supposed to speak, there is a way you are supposed to dress, there are certain schools you are supposed to attend, and, most importantly, there are a set of policies you are supposed to espouse. if you don't do these things, you can not "transcend" race.

there are a number of things we have heard and we will continue to hear. we will hear "he has to move slow." this is code for "don't criticize any inaction that he will display." how slow does he have to move? he has said he will exit iraq in 16 months. if he doesn't do that, will we be told that "he has to move slow?" will they accept our involvement in iraq for 3 more years? there is a democratic president, a democratic senate, and a democratic house. how slow does he have to move? of course, the fact is he doesn't want to move quickly. it is not in his nature to do so, and nothing he has said should lead us to believe that he will move quickly. "he has to move slow" may become a mantra of the so called left that is fawning over obama.

when a vote is taken at the un to end the cuban embargo, and the vote is 187 to 3 to end it, would obama be "moving too quickly" to attempt to end the embargo? of course, we don't have to worry about this, as he is on record as saying he supports the embargo. an embargo, by the way, that largely impacts progressives, the poor, blacks, and latinos, all groups that strongly supported obama. if he doesn't attempt to increase the minimum wage, we will hear "he has to move slow?" if he doesn't attempt to insure more people, we will hear that he "has to move slow?" in fact, we will hear this said by the very same people who are supposedly going to be pressuring him, according to the fantasies of zinn and others on the left, who apparently slept through the progressive capitulation during the clinton years.

as far as combating racism goes, you don't do that by allowing for the ascendance of one talented individual, and then going back to lead an apolitical existence. if people are truly concerned with racism, they should insist on government action in the following areas.

massive public works, funded by progressive taxation and cuts to the military budget.

the creation of a mandatory anti-racist and multicultural curriculum in our schools.

the building of affordable housing throughout the country.

massive aid to the victims of katrina.

a serious effort to punish police brutality.

equal sentencing. an abolition of the three strikes law. an emphasis on rehabilitation and not retribution within our prisons.

where is the interest in such policies? has obama spoken to any of these issues? who will now pressure him to at least begin to address these concerns? the fact is, many of the people who believe in such an agenda will be too busy pleading with the more agitated among us to "give him a chance" and reminding us that "he has to move slow." therefore, nothing will get done, but at least we will be able to "feel proud" about what we accomplished. furthermore, we can always make ourselves feel better by remembering that the republicans are worse.

as the bombs fall somewhere else.