What do you call a Black man telling a room full of white people what to do? Mr. President.
Image courtesy The White House/Pete Souza
There’s no doubt the planet is a safer place without Osama bin Laden, but there was something profoundly disturbing about the sight of people grinning, cheering and dancing in the streets near where the World Trade Towers once stood and in front of the White House, celebrating his death and chanting “U.S.A! U.S.A!” Don’t Americans view such celebrations by citizens of other countries as barbaric and hold those people in contempt? When will we understand and release the tyranny of multiple standards of behavior?
I found it odd that many of those celebrating were young people who were elementary or junior high school students on September 11, 2001. One wonders if they understand anything more today than they did a decade ago when they felt adult trauma, witnessed devastation, and perhaps felt the world irrevocably shift without comprehending what was happening. If they understood that bin Laden was a symbol of something greater than himself or that one day, it’s doubtful they’d be dancing in the streets to their own version of the Munchkin’s song when Dorothy’s house fell on the Wicked Witch of the East in Oz. Would that it were so easy to get rid of the bad guys. Or create change we can believe in.
It is impossible to deny the intelligence gathering and apparently seamless planning of the military operation that ended in the killing of bin Laden. For one who has long doubted that there really was much intelligence in the intelligence community, it was a pleasant surprise to evidence that the billions of dollars of annual funding is put to at least some good use.
Most of all, though, this was a stunning political and strategic victory for Barak Obama. Irrefutable evidence that he is focused, strategic, and in control: the Commander in Chief. A demonstration for all those who doubt and denigrate Barack Obama’s right and ability to be president, or repeat the false mantra that Democrats are soft on defense, or who have convinced themselves that the good old days were the 8 years we had a cowboy and a fascist running the government, that Barack Obama is – sometimes literally – calling the shots.
On Wednesday, April 27, Obama releases his long form birth certificate after years of racist, irrational allegations thta he is not an American citizen formulated by so-called “Birther’s” driven mad by the reality of a Black man as president of the U.S.A. At the press conference he scolds politicians, right wingers and the media for promulgating the birther frenzy. On Friday, April 29, President Obama gives the go ahead for the mission to get bin Laden. On the night of Saturday, April 30, the President and First Lady attend the White House Correspondents dinner, where he delivers hilarious, scathing remarks somewhere between the finest stand-up comedy and an incredibly elegant verbal beat down, skewering political opponents, prospective presidential candidates, paranoid political conspiracy theorists and, wisely, himself. In the early morning of Monday, May 2 in Pakistan, the assault on bin-Laden’s compound in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad begins. It is over in 40 minutes. At 11:35, on Sunday, May 1, Barack Obama announces the successful operation and that Osama bin Laden is dead.
He is somber, focused, elegant, and, as always, cool. He does not smile, smirk or celebrate. His mind doubtless filled with many other things to be done. Or undone. Even without the shades the President is inscrutable.
Great Links:
Great site, Jack & Jill Politics.
SparetheKids.com is a new web site from a young woman named Stacey Patton, author of the wrenching, passionate, inspiring memoir, That Mean Old Yesterday, about her journey from a childhood of abandonment and abuse to becoming a whole woman. Who better to creat a site focused on challenging Black people and corporal punishment. It’s visually sharp, creative, interactive, and thoughtful. Please check it out.
One of the most important and beautifully written books I’ve read in years is Michelle Alexander’s The New Jim Crow, a devastating look at the impact of mass incarceration on Black men, women, communities and the United States. Check out this brief essay by Alexander and read her book. It will change the way you see everything! How about an assault on the mass incarceration of Black people justified by the specious “War on Drugs” next, Mr. President? Now, that would be cause for dancing in the streets.
A month ago I received an email sent to my web site from Chicago native Latasha R. Battie, who’d just published her first book for children, “My President is Brown Just Like Me!” She generously offered to send me a copy, I read and thoroughly enjoyed it. More important, my grandson’s did as well. Battie’s book is simple, fun and positive, using declarative statements about President Obama – for example, “My President eats vegetables,” “My President was raised by his grandparents,” and “My President Makes Mistakes” – all follwed by, “Just like me.” Battie’s book has an easy rhythm, a great message, and I loved the odd and intriguing illustrations. “My President is Brown Just Like Me!” is available at amazon.com and createspace.com. For more info go to mypresidentisbrown.com.
Hopefully, Battie’s planning a Volume II!
Thanks to all for your comments. Feedback feeds a writer’s soul – and pen. Much appreciated!
Jill Nelson 5/3/11 – The blog with the musical notes!
