Desperate Times Require Desperate Measures

So I'm writing this while watching Transformers. That script has some questionable lines and moments and a decidedly male perspective, but I always crack up at the scene where Sam's mother asks him is he's having his "happy time"?! The nasal resonance in her voice made it all the more a 'nails on a chalkboard' experience. I am a grown woman over 25 and even I groaned at that. Eww. Good casting though. Sexual exploration is not something I ever discussed with my parents, though children would greatly benefit from getting information, not being shamed and having guidance.

By now Obama's acceptance speech has been analyzed and replaced by news of McCain choosing a female VP who's in bed with the 'Vast Right Wing Conspiracy Players' aka known as the sometime friends of the Clintons. Sorry I had to throw that in there because if we've seen anything this election it is candidates pulling out all the stops, leaving no stone unturned, doing and saying practically anything to get elected. Yes acquiring power and being in the proximity of power is the new Black.

We had Hill & Bill making new BFFs with the same people who called their own child names and tried to destroy them (Limbaugh, Sciaffe, etc). They also at some point knowingly decided to let their disregard be made known for the most loyal base of the Party: Black people and by extension Black women since we are 6 out of 10 of these voters. Remember the June assassination reference? Had she really supported issues that affect women of color and poorer women instead of trotting out wealthy and privileged white women who let it be known how out of touch they were, not to mention the ridiculous argument of sexism being worse than racism WHILE IGNORING HOW MANY WHITE WOMEN BENEFIT FROM AFFIRMATIVE ACTION over BLACKS, she would very likely have been the nominee.

In my own work history I've not experienced a symbiosis with some of the white women I've had to work with and for. Instead I've had to duck for cover and watch for flying objects...not in all cases but I remember being very surprised and disappointed and unprepared for such open hostility just for being myself. And I am not special by any means. I do have a very distinct sense of what I consider right and wrong and will not hesitate to let that be known (cue the Angry Black Woman music now please)!

I liked both Clinton speeches, particularly Hillary's but I do not think for one nanosecond should Obama not win this election she won't run in 2012. I will NEVER forget that they tried to destroy the first viable Black candidate who ran for President of these divided states by using every racist strategy available. Nor will I be able to ignore the fact that she helped fuel conflicts between white women and Black men and women in our political ambitions for her own personal gain. Some of that divisiveness is still in the air ready to take root and be exploited - if we let it. We must never forget that it is the purpose of those controlling the purse strings to keep us reaching for it and tying to knock each other out instead of working together. Bill will never get his 'Black' cred back and it was a ridiculous concept to have been allowed into the collective unchecked. Right now he's a human being again. Maybe. But always the politician.

Obama's speech got a lot of praise but one thing I noted was that he did not personally invoke the name of Martin Luther King, Jr. Also people do not know how much an influence Ella Baker was and how her work led to this moment just as much - if not more than the male Civil Rights Industrial Complex leaders who marginalized her. If you don't know who Ella Baker was you need to find out. How sad that he continues to have to navigate such perilous race-related waters because so many people in this country are idiots. I could say it in a more nuanced way for sure but screw that. This country is like that famous ship that hit the iceberg and we're sinking fast. There's only so many life boats and a lot of them will NOT be on it - to their surprise. Let's plug in those holes people for our own good.

Even Obama made some choices people would question from his FISA vote (of course most of the other Dems voted the same way so that should be taken with a grain of salt so to speak), to his silence when Michelle was first attacked by the media and misquoted (that's why we have Michelle Obama Watch), to his selection of Joe Biden (whom some people still think has prejudices and should have been eliminated). I'm not even gonna get into Rev. White. And for the record he and Michelle are not elitists. They both grew up poor and got scholarships to attend college and only recently got out of debt. Isn't that what being Middle-Class used to be? Besides didn't McCain claim assets worth anything less than $5M meant you were poor? So I am really poor!

I mention these things because McCain chose Gov. Sarah Palin to be his running mate. While one blog writer lovingly refers to her as Alaskan Barbie, it hasn't gone unnoticed that she was picked by the ultra-conservative boys club fringe of the Republican Party. It's game, set, match! Yes we know she was chosen for her conservative views on abortion, gun-loving ways and perky smile just as much for a rather crass and obvious ploy at the PUMAs and other women who might have passed on McCain. She is no Hillary Clinton, okay! The mistake would be to attack her or dismiss the appeal she would have to certain voters. And can we send some smoke signals or call Nancy Grace to find out what basement Bridget McCain has been locked in? It speaks volumes that the McCains, with their history of mutual infidelity, financial shadiness and familial denial would be ashamed or just try to present a false image of whiteness by not being seen publicly with their adopted daughter who isn't.

At least Bush has some Black people around him and Latinos in his family, though that of course does nothing to improve the lives of the masses. McCain has already sold his soul to the devil so to speak so those religious perpetrators can hop on board the Straight Talk express and drive it right to the White House. Or so they think. They're giving it their best shot. So everybody needs to hug it out and fast!!! Just focus on the old white-haired guy and keep moving cuz there's nothing to see there! Already there's talk of how she has not been vetted and a potential scandal may blow up. So be it. We need to focus and remember every vote counts. We also need to make sure every vote gets counted!!

And then there's the Independent and Green Party candidates. I've heard a lot of unflattering things said about Cynthia McKinney and since it's usually by a male it always rubs me the wrong way. I am always suspicious of men who like to dismiss women who are intelligent and don't fit their idea of what a woman's place is supposed to be or holds a different opinion that they personally oppose. Even more so because she is a Black woman. Just as an example I never hear men describe George Bush in the same way with the same tone and look at what he'd done to this country. I like a lot of the consumer protections we now enjoy as minimum standards thanks to Ralph Nader and think he would be best utilized in a different position. Many say a vote for either candidate is a vote for McCain, much like those who voted for Ross Perot inadvertently helped Clinton win back in 1992.

So here we have the traveling circus of politicians. It's Barnum & Bailey, Universoul Circus and Sesame Street Live all in one. Just far more is at stake. We voters are always the bridesmaid but this year we get to be the bride. Everybody wants us!!!!!! Isn't it nice to be the popular kid for once?


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Big Shout-Outs to everyone who hosted, offered assistance, shared a funny moment, had a kind word, offered a smile or a hug in Denver. It was an experience to remember and one I will be sure to cherish. I hope I wasn't a pain!