Alice Walker Says It Better

I was debating whether I wanted to post anything or not but this article by Alice Walker is too good not to at least try to share with as many people as are willing to read it.

I have a long personal history with Ms. Walker, one-sided as it is, going back 20 some years when she planted the seed that led me to end my first marriage and I still owe her for that one. Yes, sometimes it does matter if they can't understand what a book (or in the current case a speech or an essay) means to you or why.

When I was born in 1944 my parents lived on a middle Georgia plantation that was owned by a white distant relative, Miss May Montgomery. (During my childhood it was necessary to address all white girls as "Miss" when they reached the age of twelve.) She would never admit to this relationship, of course, except to mock it. Told by my parents that several of their children would not eat chicken skin she responded that of course they would not. No Montgomerys would.

My parents and older siblings did everything imaginable for Miss May. They planted and raised her cotton and corn, fed and killed and processed her cattle and hogs, painted her house, patched her roof, ran her dairy, and, among countless other duties and responsibilities my father was her chauffeur, taking her anywhere she wanted to go at any hour of the day or night. She lived in a large white house with green shutters and a green, luxuriant lawn: not quite as large as Tara of Gone With the Wind fame, but in the same style.

We lived in a shack without electricity or running water, under a rusty tin roof that let in wind and rain. Miss May went to school as a girl. The school my parents and their neighbors built for us was burned to the ground by local racists who wanted to keep ignorant their competitors in tenant farming. During the Depression, desperate to feed his hardworking family, my father asked for a raise from ten dollars a month to twelve. Miss May responded that she would not pay that amount to a white man and she certainly wouldn't pay it to a nigger. That before she'd pay a nigger that much money she'd milk the dairy cows herself.

I am a supporter of Obama because I believe he is the right person to lead the country at this time. He offers a rare opportunity for the country and the world to start over, and to do better. It is a deep sadness to me that many of my feminist white women friends cannot see him. Cannot see what he carries in his being. Cannot hear the fresh choices toward Movement he offers. That they can believe that millions of Americans –black, white, yellow, red and brown - choose Obama over Clinton only because he is a man, and black, feels tragic to me.

When I have supported white people, men and women, it was because I thought them the best possible people to do whatever the job required. Nothing else would have occurred to me. If Obama were in any sense mediocre, he would be forgotten by now. He is, in fact, a remarkable human being, not perfect but humanly stunning, like King was and like Mandela is. We look at him, as we looked at them, and are glad to be of our species. He is the change America has been trying desperately and for centuries to hide, ignore, kill. The change America must have if we are to convince the rest of the world that we care about people other than our (white) selves. By Alice Walker -TheRoot.com

Just a few highlights, she has much more to say and all well worth clicking over to read.

Sometimes I Mistake My Granddaughters for Snipers

I've been busy operating under sniper fire this week so haven't had much time to post. Err, sorry, I misspoke, actually I've been held hostage by a pair of toddling grandchildren. Small children, snipers, all the same thing right? Maybe I'm just sleep deprived. Sorry but I didn't have quite enough time to pencil in bringing peace to the Middle East or curing cancer.

Meanwhile back at the ranch it looks like She-Who-Saved-the-Free-World has been busy with her good friends at Fox, reassuring asshats across the nation that she will not cease and desist until she has successfully destroyed any chance of a Democrat being elected in November. Excuse me for not getting overly excited about this tidbit, after all, what the hell did anyone suppose she would do? If she can't have it she'll do everything possible to make sure no one else can either. The only question remaining is whether or not voters will fall for it and I'm not going to try and guess that one. Bets anyone?

The Assmonkeys Cometh

Barely 24 hours after what was the most definitive speech ever given on race and here come the assmonkeys attempting to chip, chip, chip away at what was possibly the finest example of true statesmanship we will see in this century.

They just can't stand it, not five minutes after Sen. Obama's speech there was the Prince of Assmonkeys, Pat Buchanan, parsing every tidbit through his own personal hateful, racist, sexist fucktard filter on MSNBC. Pat, you might think Rev. Jeremiah Wright hates you but he's your biggest fan compared to what I feel for you. Trust me on that one.

Obama spoke truths that I and millions of other American citizens have known almost since birth, if that was "shocking" or surprising to some then all it points to is how fucking blind and insulated some of you are. When were you planning to wake up? When the anger and violence has destroyed all of us? When we have no nation left to salvage?

Sound extreme? You really think a nation as divided as ours can continue to function effectively while continuing to ignore the needs and feelings of at least a third of its citizens? How the hell has that been working out for us? Looking at the big picture any sane person would have to conclude "not very damned well".

Anyone who didn't "get" the speech or doesn't "get" the bigger picture here, you're probably beyond human help and it's time the rest of us moved on without you because the time for holding back to appease you is past. Sure, "we" could lose the election but I can personally guarentee you this: even if you "win" the election, you lose, in fact we'll all lose. Chew on that fer a while Bubba-heads.

Barack Hussein Obama, yes, I used his middle name because it is a perfectly fine name and there is not a motherfucking thing wrong with it, has given me and mine something we have never had to any great extent, pride in one of our leaders and pride in our country for being able to produce such a person. That is also correct, I said I have never had tremendous pride in my country until now and I am a white middle class woman. My name is not Michelle and I am not running for any office so I will not parse that for you nor will I apologize to a country that's done nothing but try to kick me in the teeth every step up from the bottom. I have more than a slight suspicion there are many others like me out there too so if any of ya'll are thinking this is just a "black issue", think again m'fers.

I could not be prouder of Sen. Obama if he were my own son or father or brother. What he said yesterday reached down into the ugly ball of rage I carry with me every day of my life and I didn't cry that cute little cry so many women manage where a few tears escape while they artfully dab them away from their make-up, no, it was more like the nearly-choking-to-death cry that anyone who has ever felt real pain knows. Make-up be damned.

Yeah babies, it's personal at a level I never thought I'd live to see. I'm just one but our names and faces are many. Stick that one in your pipe and smoke it.

Hope She Has Small Feet

"If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position," she said for an article aptly headlined "Geraldine Ferraro lets her emotions do the talking."

She went on: "And if he was a woman (of any color) he would not be in this position. He happens to be very lucky to be who he is. And the country is caught up in the concept." LA Times

Well...yes, and if I had been born a black man odds are good I'd either be dead or in prison and not writing this blog so what is your point? Oh no, for one of the first times in history being a black man is to at least some extent turning out to be an advantage and that is just driving you crazy. Deal with it.

Spin it any way you please, there is no way you can convince anyone even remotely honest that Hillary Clinton being female has not worked to her advantage as well. Those long lines of old ladies never turned out for Dubya or even for Al Gore, if they had we'd probably not be having this conversation now would we?

While we're on it, if Hillary had not been born a wealthy white woman would she be in the position she is in now? If she were not married to a former president would she and more to the point....if she had been born black would Bubba have married her in the first place?

If my ass were a cash register I'd be sipping latte in Rome. People are born who they are and sometimes it works out to be an advantage and sometimes it doesn't and Barack Obama didn't make up them rules, the rest of us did so you're damned straight I'm caught up in "the concept"and I make no apologies for it.

Unfortunately any advantage Clinton's marital ties or type of genitalia may have given her is negated by the fact that she also possesses both the personality and the character of a psychopathic troll. We've already had a slew of those and at least some of us are ready for something different.

Personally I'm damned thankful Obama was not born a white man because it's true, he might not be where he is today and that would have been a tremendous loss for all of us.

Deep Dark Depression, Excessive Misery

It hasn't seemed worth talking about the results of the Tuesday primary because, well, it was all too easily predictable. Everyone and their brother has been trying to analyze what Clinton and Obama did or did not do but hellooooo....ever occur to anyone it was the HeeHaw vote in Ohio and Texas that determined the outcome? Yeah buddy, same demographic that will likely make for a Clinton win in PA. Doubtful it would matter much what she did short of take a crap on the steps of the capitol.

So on we go to another several months of fighting and republicans are jumping for joy, one more time it looks like indeed we can snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

Tuesday night was just splendid at my house. Clinton won three states and began to speak, husband turned purple and threw up. Not sure if it was Clinton or a bad taco but you get the picture. Husband you see is in many ways Mr. Joe Average America. The saner variety. He doesn't hate women, in fact thinks in general they are usually better people than most men though they often confuse and confound him. He doesn't care much about race either, he cares what a person does and how they behave. In his book an ass is an ass is an ass whatever flavor it comes in. He's just shy of 50 and has never, ever missed voting (democratic) in an election in his entire adult life despite the fact that the nominee was usually about his 3rd or fourth choice but come November, should Clinton be the nominee, he will not vote.

He's only one person so I suppose that doesn't matter much in the bigger picture but I have to wonder how many others will not vote if it comes to that? I haven't quite gotten there yet, I'm waiting to see what the majority of the African-American community decides to do if this is the outcome but I can tell you this...if they decide to stay home I'll stay home with them.

I have serious doubts about any candidate being able to deliver on even half of their promises even if they truly intend to but I am absolutely positive Clinton can't so I don't really see where a Clinton presidency would be so much better than a McCain presidency. Add in the fact that I truly believe a Clinton win would be the death of the Democratic party....well, I'd just as soon muddle through 4 more years of pig shit.

Why do I believe that? Think about it, does anyone really believe that Black voters will just fall in line and continue to vote democratic after the party that is supposed to be all about equality flings turds in their faces? I'm thinking not and frankly the party cannot survive as a viable entity without them. If Obama wins will we lose voters? Sure...mainly elderly women voting to avenge twenty year old wrongs and a lot of racists. I'm good with that. Really I am, I'm tired of catering to the lowest common denominator and bending over for assmonkeys. If I wanted to do that I'd vote republican.

I've voted lockstep with this party my entire life despite our consistent record of backing the wrong horse but I'm just about at the end of my rope. This one is personal for many reasons and I'm just not certain at all that I can do it. I want change. I want all Americans to just be Americans because we've become much like our dear friends the Sunni and the Shi'a and I'm just not down with that. The Democratic party has always supposedly stood for equality and reaching out to any group of people that has been left out and here we have a golden shiny moment where we have the opportunity to put our money where our mouths are and not with just any old figurehead but an actual, bonafide, qualified, and outstanding candidate so if we can't do it, well, there goes the neighborhood as far as I'm concerned.

I don't really give a goddamn who that pisses off because people, ya'll been pissing on my salad for 45 years.