HATE CRIMES STILL HAPPEN?

(I wrote this blog soon as I read an article about a gang of white kids killing a hispanic man on Long Island) Yes, race relations have come a long way in America. We just elected a black President. BUT DON"T TELL ME RACISM DOESNT EXIST! In several blogs over the last few months, I have written about racism. A friend of mine replied to one of my racism blogs, he called it a 'red herring'. A Red fucking Herring!!? So, Is racism just a tiny nuisance that, when it happens, we should look the other way? NO! It continues being a real problem. It's not going away until we all act to stop it. Last weekend on Long Island, a group of kids (most of them white) decided to go "Beaner Hunting". Basicaly, they wanted to drive around until they found a random hispanic to beat up or kill. CONGRATULATIONS! They succeeded. They found and killed an innocent hispanic man on his way home from work.It scares me because the victim could have been me or any member of my family.There is absolutely nothing correct or funny about racism in any shape or form. There are racists who hate silently and from afar. They see nothing wrong with telling a 'nigger joke', as long as there are no "niggers" around, of course. These spineless cowards will write blogs online from the safety and comfort of their homes.This sort of racists annoy me but they are relatively harmless.What scares me are the racists so devoted to their hatred, that they would kill a complete stranger because the color of their skin. Sure, you can pretend racists don't exist.Then how do you explain all the reported "Hate Crimes?". They do happen.

My Own Personal Abortion Issue

I have a bright 8 year old grand-neice named Britney.
Some time ago, Britney inquired"What ith a-ab-aborshun?" (She has a lisp and was unsure of the word so she stuttered a bit trying to pronounce it)
This little girl was asking me what an abortion is. WOW! I was not expecting that anytime soon, or at all.
I have always tried to answer all her questioons, no matter how silly they may seem to adults.
I strongly beleive it is wrong to lie to a child or to ignore their questions, so now, I was stuck.
How do I answer this question so that a little girl can understand?
Do I go into detail about the moral concerns involved with the abortion topic?
I thought to first try a simple answer and hope it would suffice.
"An abortion is when a mommy does not want to have a baby"
I was met with a shocked expression. She must have thought "Why doesnt the mommy want the baby?"
I could see she was thinking hard now. I knew another question would now follow.
She actually asked "what does she do with the baby?"
In case she may have been confusing abortion with adoption, I figured I would need to clarify.
"Abortion is when a mommy kills a baby inside her stomach" I explained
She was even more horrified with this answer than my previous one.
I was expecting her to ask "why would a mommy kill the baby?"
Once again, the question I was expecting was not the one that was posed.
"Did my mommy want to abortion me?"
Somehow, my answer to this question came easily.
"No Britney, never. She always wanted to have a little baby daughter that would poop a lot and vomit on her shoulder"
She giggled, I guess with releif.
I thought I performed well under this tough line of questioning.Thank God it was over, or so I thought.
"Why do mommies do abortion?" Britney asked.
I may have been underestimating Britney's intelligence, and so, I figured, I would try more definitive answers.
"Sometimes a mommy is too young to take care of a baby. Sometimes a mommy does not have money to take good care of a baby; or sometimes, a mommy does not like babies"
She asked me several other questions and one lead me to telling Britney about an aunt she has that tried to persuade Britney's mom to have an abortion.
After the conversation, I tried to imagine, what if Britney's mom would have listened to the aunt.
Life without Britney? It's just unthinkable.

I guess I should start preparing for the question Britney might hit me with any day.
The one about making babies

What defines a terrorist?

For everything there must be an opposite, right?
I have seen plenty of videos where McCain-Palin suporters display rage and hate toward Obama.
Well, somewhere the opposite must exist, right?
Out of curiosity, I tried performing a search for videos of Obama supporters showing total anger and hate toward Mccain.

I could not find one. NOT A SINGLE ONE!

Conservative/Republican columnist Charles Krauthammer wrote in an article October 17, titled
WHO'S PLAYING THE RACE CARD?

Let me get this straight. A couple of agitated yahoos in a rally of thousands yell something offensive and incendiary, and John McCain and Sarah Palin are not just guilty by association -- with total strangers, mind you -- but worse: guilty according to The New York Times of "race-baiting and xenophobia.

If McCain's people aren't doing it, WHO IS?
Somebody or something is causing these McCain supporters to beleive that Barack Hussein Obama is a terrorist or an arab.

And Obama has shown no hesitation in doing so to McCain. Just weeks ago, in Springfield, Mo., and elsewhere, he warned darkly that George Bush and John McCain were going to try to frighten you by saying that, among other scary things, Obama has "a funny name" and "doesn't look like all those other presidents on those dollar bills."

I could find no specific instance where McCain himself had said these things.
But Palin stirs the fears about Obama with the question "Who is Obama" and then offers her own vague depiction of the man. She connects Obama with terrorism by his association with former-terrorist William Ayers. Of course, Palin fails to explain what Ayers did in the past that made him a terrorist so long ago.

This leaves it up to her excitable supporters to use their over-active imaginations.

If terrorists are people who hate America, blow up buildings and kill people, then we can conclude that Bill Ayers hates America and he must have blown up buildings and killed people.

As far as I could find, Bill Ayers blew up several buildings and statues but never killed anyone.

So basicaly, he is a vandal who produced lots of property damage.

If causing property damage makes you a terrorist, a lot of teenage frat boys and heavy metal bands should be considered terrorists as well.

So what is exactly defines a terrorist? A simple definition - Someone who uses violence or threat of violence to make a statement is a terrorist.

Bill Ayers did in fact engage in despicable violent acts when he was a young and stupid extremist protestor.

Now, he is 63 year old man who teaches in a college. I think, if he was still an active terrorist, he would not have employment as a university professor and would likely be under 24/7 surveillance by the government if not in federal prison.

If Obama is guilty by association to Ayers, I should be able to conclude that McCain and Palin are guilty by association to the ignorant, hateful, racist "agitated yahoos" at their own rallies; but I won't.

Sarah Palin's Extreme Makeover

Never mind asking who is Obama?
WHO IS SARAH PALIN?

VP candidate Sarah Palin is a carefully constructed image as artificial as the "grass" in Giants Stadium.
She is just your average working mom who shops in "small town" stores like Neiman Marcus, Saks 5th Avenue.
This hockey mom budgets some of her hard-earned income for bread, eggs, milk and jackets worth about $1000, footwear costing about $1000 as well.

I am not going to argue with the fashion. The clothes looks good.
I have no problem with her spending the money if she has earned it or if it was gifted to her. But how does she expect to connect with the average blue-collar Joe (six pack or plumber).
I have shopped nice stores like Lord & Taylor, Nordstrom, and Saks and have NEVER seen a Joe-Sixpack redneck at either.
That is because Joe Six-pack shops at stores with the word "MART" stuck at the end.

Combined, Sarah and Todd reported earned income of $166,000 last year.
Can you imagine if average Joe Sixpac, making average salary of $45,000 discovered his wife had spent $30,000 on designer couture?
(Joe might reach for that arm guaranteed by the 2nd Amendment...unless she bought him a 6-pack)

The things $150,000 can buy you.
A personal shopper named Jeff Larson.
A vocal coach named Priscilla Shanks to help improve pronunciations.
(You mean she sounded worse?)
These are written off as Operating Expenditures.
If she is just like US, whats wrong with the way she talks?
If she is just like US, whats wrong with the way she dresses?

So, in short, SARAH PALIN IS A FAKE!

Praise for McCain

Sarah Louise Palin has been asking 'who is the real Barack Hussein Obama'?
TREASON!
OFF WITH HIS HEAD!
BOMB OBAMA!
KILL HIM!
TERRORIST!
Words that were used describe Barack Hussein Obama; words used by fanatical John Sydney McCain supporters at rallies.
Some people utter Obama's middle name like it's somehow a code for terrorism.
(My middle name is Ivan, its a Russian name. Does that somehow make me a Communist?)
Kudos to John McCain for trying to put a stop to it tonight!
A man at a rally expressed a fear; fear for his newborn living under a Barack Obama presidency.
McCain returned to his microphone and in an attempt to settle the man, he said...
"I have to tell you he is a decent person and a person that you do not have to be scared of as president of the United States,"
Moments Later...
John McCain was forced to take the microphone from a woman who was saying Barack Hussein Obama is an Arab.
John Sydney McCain politely cut her off and rebuked her. McCain then properly characterized Obama by saying
"He's a decent, family man, a citizen that I just happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues and that's what this campaign is all about."
Each time that John McCain dispeled his supporter's fears, what did they do?
THEY BOOED HIM!
What is wrong with these people?!
There is an apparent strong HATRED for Barack Obama.
I fear some maniac might attempt an assassination of Obama and some of these people would clap and cheer.
This is a very strong and real panic I have that extends all the way down to my core.

Scary that there are such people in my country!
SHAME!
Shame to those people who agree with the fanatics!

McCain's Hypocrisy

McCain criticizes Obama for never taking sides against his party.
SO?
McCain has taken sides against his own party. What does that tell you?
One could argue it makes him a traitor to his party. It makes him unpredictable that he would turn on his own party.
If that the kind of dissenter you want on your team?
Is that the man you want as president?
He claims that's what makes him a MAVERICK!
He isn't a maverick just because he says so!
How can he vote with Bush over 90% of the time and then claim to be his own man?
If he is a maverick, then I am a doctor!
From now on, I shall display "MD" at the end of my name.

If you watched the debate you KNOW the following to be TRUE...
During the debate, McCain claimed he CAN and WILL get Osama Bin Laden because he knows how.
Something we have been struggling with for 5 years and McCain knows how to solve this problem.
Is he withholding valuable life-saving information from our troops?
Our soldiers are dying everyday in combat and he claims to hold the key to stop it all?
Is he planning to keep this vital information secret if he loses, and only reveal it if he wins?
Because if that is the case, that's the very definition of treason!
Or maybe he is just lying to play to our fears.
Well, if he is just bluffing, he needs to stop playing such dirty politics!

Then there is Cindy McCain...
I hate to attack a candidate's wife. I think they should stay out of their spouses political campaigns.
But I think, if she is going to come out and attack, then she has left herself open to attacks herself.Cindy McCain says she got a chill down her back when Obama voted against a bill to fund our troops because her son is serving in the military..
By the way Cindy, your husband voted against a similar bill (Bill H.R. 1591, March 29, 2007)
He voted against funding for his own son!
She followed by saying...
"I would suggest that Sen. Obama change shoes with me for just one day. And see what it means, and see what it means to have a loved one serving in the Armed Forces,"
First of all Cindy, most of us can't afford ONE of your shoes!
Second, I am willing to bet Obama knows someone who is serving right now. I am not sure what her intention was with that line.

I love this country too much to watch it continue along the same disastrous path.
I am not naive to think you have not made a choice by now.
And maybe I can't give you reasons to vote for Obama, but I keep providing plenty of reasons for you NOT to vote for McCain.

Racism and the Election

I hope a few narrow-minded closet-racists read this...This blog's for you!

The election is the hot topic now and will be, I suspect, until January.

There remain a lot of undecided voters out there. So it’s natural to hear people asking "Who will you vote for?"

When asked if they will be voting for Obama, I have often heard the reply "I don't trust him." The intuitive response to that is "Why not?" which means "what has he done to lose your trust?" Nothing follows to substantiate their simple answer.

I was talking to a group of elderly Southern people (I've been in Tennessee for a few months) and they informed me the phrase "I don't trust him" when referring to Obama, is code for racism. I was surprised to learn that. By saying "I don't trust him" they actually mean to say "I am not voting for a nigger" but lack the fortitude to display their bigotry openly.

And that's my problem with bigots. They seem to lack the courage of their racist conviction.

I was raised to believe that everyone should be proud of who/what you are!
For example...
I am Hispanic and I am proud of my background.
If you are Catholic, be proud and be seen at church.
If you are black, be proud and show your color.
If you are Chinese, be proud and don't hide your eyes.
So that means if you are racist, be proud and wear your white hood in public!

I am surprised by the amount of racism exposed by this election. Everyone has now come to associate the word CHANGE with Obama's campaign. Just the other day, I became aware of the following racist joke...
What does C.H.A.N.G.E stand for?
Come Help A Nigger Get Elected!

The words "Let's Keep the White House WHITE" has been found scribbled on walls throughout the country.

At George Fox University, which is a Christian college, the effigy of Barrack Obama was found hanging from a tree with a noose around its neck. The image alludes back to a time when black people hanging from trees were common sights. So much for Christianity and the Christian spirit!
Now, while I don't hold the school responsible for this act, the odds are high that those who did it were Christian. I say this because we are in a country that is predominantly Christian. Lutherans, Protestants, Anglicans, Orthodox, Catholics, Baptists, all are Christians.

So why would such a Christian country still harbor so much racism?
FEAR!

This fear is irrational.

I have heard the misapprehension that if Obama is elected, because he is allegedly Muslim, he will turn this country Muslim. I have heard the fallacy that if he is a secret terrorist and if elected, he will allow terrorists to enter America.

Does anyone TRUELY believe this? Freedom of Religion is a basis for our Constitution and thus, the President can’t dictate what God we worship. I mean, how would he execute such an act? Ratifying such a radical change to the First Amendment would require approval by majority of a predominantly Christian Congress, according to Article 5.

I have heard also, that under McCain’s watch, it is guaranteed America will not be attacked by terrorists. Under an Obama administration, we are almost certain to be attacked by terrorists. How can such bold claims be made? Neither man will be able to control when nor where a terrorist attack will happen. Preventing attacks is the cooperative effort all the law enforcement agencies throughout our country.

Many people remain on the fence because they KNOW that McCain is not the right man, but on the other hand, they have trouble putting bigotry aside and voting for a black man. Look, I don't think you should vote for Obama because he is black but I also don't want you to vote against him because he is black.

Take an honest, unbiased look at the candidates and their handling of the issues and vote based on that.