Afrocalypse

Regardless of Michael’s recent literal death, I’ve felt to some degree that the Michael Jackson of the 70’s & 80’s, the Michael Jackson that I loved had passed away long before now. The controversies, allegations and his apparent sadness all seemed to play a part in his figurative demise years ago. Yes, his death is a sad occasion but at the same time a part of me is glad to see this story come to an end. As someone recently put it, Michael seemed to be a tortured soul. Perhaps now he will finally find the peace he so longed for in life. I hope so. I know many are listening to his music right now non-stop. I haven’t really been able to do so yet. It makes me a bit sad. 

Michael Jackson’s passing on Thursday came as a shock to me just as it did to many others. He will be missed. I will remember the music. I will remember the King of Pop in his prime. There are more than enough positive moments and accomplishments in Michael Jackson’s life for us to remember and focus on without resorting to the myriad controversies in which he found himself.

I remember countless episodes from my childhood of dancing around my family’s dining room/kitchen floor in front of the storm door to the garage (I could see my reflection in it, lol) in my socks trying to emulate Michael’s signature moves on our slick linoleum floor, especially the “Moon Walk.” I remember my parents buying me a “Thriller glove” and refusing to buy me an overly-priced “Thriller jacket.” Funny indeed… I also remember reading the liner notes to the Thrilller album over and over hoping to capture a bit more of Michael’s magic even after the the album had ended and the music stopped. I remember my parents and I sitting in our living room anticipating the big Thriller video debut on the night that it aired.  Michael Jackson is forever tied to many of my positive childhood memories.

Michael Jackson, you were a rare gift to the world. Thank you for the music and the memories. 

Chuck Todd & Chris Matthews,

Most times you guys are spot-on with your observations. However, today (6/23/3009) RE: President Obama’s press conference you guys seem to miss the mark on at least one key item. Chuck, you seem to think that the President failed to answer a particular question adequately, namely: What would happen to an employee’s healthcare coverage [choice] if his/her employer opted to go with a government (public) option and the employee was already happy with his/her plan?

If you don’t think he answered the question completely, fair enough… However, you and Chris didn’t have to play into the lame notion that somehow there is a hidden agenda with the public healthcare option to limit an employee’s freedom of choice, and that there’s something the President isn’t sharing with the people.

I think the answer to the question is pretty straight forward. Currently, if my employer opts to go with a different healthcare coverage provider, I as the employee have the choice to either maintain my coverage through whatever new provider my employer has chosen or go my own way and purchase my own non-employer-subsidized insurance. 

The government is not obligated to ensure that an employee likes the insurance provider that his/her employer has chosen. What makes anyone think that this should or would change with an additional healthcare coverage option on the table? If anything, an employer that chooses the public option over its current private provider should send a wake up call to that private provider to start providing a better value. This is a free market; we all love competition, don’t we?

As the President has stated very plainly on several occasions, the government will not be forcing anyone to choose government insurance. If you like your private or employer-provided healthcare plan, keep it. If your company switches to the public option (or any other provider for that matter) and you don’t like it, get your own private insurance. We are free to choose, plain and simple.

This morning as I sat in front of my computer reading today’s headlines and listening to news coverage on TV. The magnitude of last night’s election results began to really settle in. I was overwhelmed with emotion as I sat and thought about Senator Barack Obama becoming President-Elect of the United States of America. He is our 44th president.

 I cried…

So many have sacrificed so much so that a moment like this might one day happen. I am so grateful to all of those who came before me that believed, fought and died for a better, brighter and more equal America; an America that would, “judge a man not by the color of his skin but by the content of his character.”

With that said, I am also incredibly proud of the fact that the people of the USA were able to rally behind the idea of believing in hope and new possibilties. This election breathed new life into our democracy and voter participation was unprecedented. The people of this country, my country, have chosen to take an active role in shaping the future of our nation as never before seen. For that, I am thankful and again so very proud.

For me, being an American now feels different, it feels better, it feels authentic.

It’s been about 6 months since I blogged but tonight I am back with great news! Senator Barack Obama has just secured the 270 electoral votes needed to become the 44th President of the United States of America.

No contested counts, no hanging chads, no accusations of voter fraud and/or suppression, no overnight waiting for final counts to be determined. In fact, this wasn’t a close race at all. Senator Obama won and won handily, 338 electoral votes to John McCain’s 156. Wow, this is so surreal. I’ve never been as proud of my country as I am tonight. I am so happy!

I will have more to say in the days and weeks to come about this historic moment for our nation. However for now, I have to let all of this sink in. Wow…

DAYUM… I was lunchin’ on Alicia Keys’ new single, “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright.” Don’t get me wrong, I’ve always dug her as an artist but after hearing the new single a few times on the radio, I just didn’t get it. However, last night’s Grammy Award performance had that extra special something. That performance opened my ears to the song and the new album.

As I sit writing this entry, I’m bumpin’ her new single and man, not only do I love the song, but it also seems to capture the optimistic spirit that so many have right now regarding the future of our country. Hate to admit it, but I feel a bit giddy. I think I have a crush on Alicia Keys. *Sigh*

Senator Obama cleaned house this weekend by besting Hillary Clinton in a 4 state sweep of Washington, Nebraska, Lousiana,  and Maine. Barack also went on to beat out Bill & Hillary Clinton in the Grammy nominations for his second Grammy award for his latest book, The Audacity of Hope.

 Go B-Rock!!!

Last night I spent some time with my mom and dad at their home. We spent a great deal of time discussing this year’s monumental Democratic presidential primary. Our discussion quickly resulted in a fiery and entertaining debate over Senator Clinton and Senator Obama as presidential contenders.  It was a lot of fun, probably the most fun I think the three of us have had together in quite some time.

Early on in the primary my dad was a Hillary supporter as well as my mom.  A few weeks ago he changed his mind and decided to go with Obama. So on my visit, I delivered some Obama campaign materials (yard sign and bumper sticker) at his request. My mom was just thrilled. =)

Throughout the evening, my dad and I rallied in support of Obama while my mom gave it her best shot to defend and justify Hillary’s lame political standing. In essence, my parents and I held our own little mini-caucus. The final numbers look like this:

Barack: 66.6%
Hillary: 33.3%

Again, Obama continues his crushing defeat of Hillary Clinton, woo hoo!!!

Obama ‘08!

“Change,” the word of the year and the idea that was scoffed at when Senator Obama first took to the stump with his message. The cynics have cried “change what” and Obama’s political opponents (in both parties) have attempted to characterize his talk of change as “fluff” and “empty rhetoric.” Ironically however, the same presidential primary that began with 12 candidates and only one speaking of “change” has undergone some significant changes of its own. It has now become a race of only 4 candidates and ALL of them speaking about “change.” What happened?

The answer is this, Senator Barack Obama has planted the seeds of his presidency in the minds of millions of Americans and his effectiveness as a leader is beginning to show. However for many, the big question is still, “change what?” Here are a few things that should be on our nation’s short list.

Fear & Apathy -  Here in America we are mired in a climate of fear and apathy; fear of an international boogie man called terrorism and public apathy rooted in a history of deceptive, divisive and incompetent leadership. Public fear and apathy are erosive forces to a democratic society. These forces, once taken hold can be very difficult to reverse and overcome.

Apathy is the source of our nation’s embarrassingly low participation in the democratic election process. As a result, non-representative leaders routinely acquire power and position that they neither deserve or qualify for. Fear is the source of our nation’s willingness to exacerbate this trend by handing over our freedoms, choices and power to such leaders. Understanding these dynamics is essential for any democratic nation that looks to chart a future for itself that is brighter than its past. Senator Barack Obama understands these concepts and the consequences of ignoring them. He also has the courage and ability to begin moving this nation away from such a self destructive socio-political mindset; not only through sound decision making combined with wisdom but through leading by example and inspiring the hopes, dreams and actions of our nation’s people.

Perspective - The economy, healthcare and the Iraq War are all front and center right now. However, the reality is that no matter what actions or policy decisions we put into place to address these issues, we will not be able to escape the influence of our self destructive socio-political mindset. As long as we maintain such an unhealthy mindset moving forward, we will not produce the solutions that are best for our country or our future. This presidential election is not about the next 4 or 8 years. It is about much more than that. It is about the long term future of the United States and the direction that our citizens want to see us go in, not what our politicians may or may not want.

The United States presidency should represent a cross section of the best that America has to offer; our greatest leadership, hopes, dreams, accomplishments, legacies and opportunities for the future. Like it or not, people look to their leaders for cues. When people are inspired and made to believe that they can do better for themselves and better by one another, they become more engaged. Once engaged, our willingness to settle for less subsides and we instead look to make changes for ourselves; changes in our leadership,  changes in our approach to dealing with our fellow Americans and changes in our perspective.

Jimi Hendrix was much cooler when he asked this question. Hillary, not so much… Here are the facts regarding this lame debate about experience.

Senator Obama began his official life as an elected official with the Illinois Senate in 1996 then moved on to his current position in the U.S. Senate in 2004 . This is a total of 11+ years of “experience” as a senator. Prior to this, he spent approximately 4 or 5 years as a prominent, well-respected and successful commuinity organizer. All together Barack has approximately 15 to 16 years of credible and documented “experience” as a government leader.

Senator Clinton has spent the majority of her life in the public eye as the wife of the guy in charge. Let’s take a look…

1979-1981 - Corporate Lawyer, Wife of Bill Clinton (AR. first lady)
1983-1992 - Corporate Lawyer, Wife of Bill Clinton (AR. first lady)
1992-2000- Wife of Bill Clinton (U.S. first lady)
2000-2008 - New York Senator

With these numbers it appears that Hillary Clinton actually has less experience governing than the so-called inexperienced Barack Obama. In fact, she has little more than half of Obama’s experience as an elected official and/or legislator; 7 years to his 11+ years.

Hillary Clinton is a sharp politician and an intelligent woman, no doubt about it. However, her claims of being a more seasoned and experienced government leader over Barack Obama are just absurd.

There is no need to go into the content of Hillary’s years at this time. Her history of involvement with corporate corruption, lies, scandals and failed socialist policy attempts is not at all flattering.