seriously, people, its the 90's

i read this article yesterday, and was completely incredulous at the unfounded hate that people can harbor. i just dont understand how you can hate someone so much just because of the color of their skin. evidently there are quite a few out there who will not vote for Obama, not because hes a liberal, but because hes black. thats no surprise to anyone with a toe hold on reality, but what surprised me was the unbridled hate that some have spewed at Obama supporters.

perhaps its my roots that have me open minded as i am. i grew up in the nearly 100% white city of Livonia just a couple miles from Detroit which happens to be about 80% black. we were also a just a few miles from Southfield, Bloomfield Hills, and Dearborn with large Jewish and Arab populations respectively. my parents both taught in Southfield and watched the demographic shift from a mostly white Jews and Christians to a predominantly black community. i wont lie and say that my parents never disparaged minorities, but they did dole it out in equal portions. i never got the impression that my parents were hateful. it always appeared to be in jest and noting cultural differences, like when black comedians make fun of white people.

my parents always encouraged any sort of cultural growth, be it ethnic food or going to slummy bars to see bands i liked(once i was old enough, of course...). this all one generation removed from a grandfather who was one of the first whites to flee Detroit for the suburbs in what would become the "white flight." the same grandfather who disowned my aunt, his daughter, for marrying a black man. the change in my family from the 50's to today is, at risk of a bad pun, black and white.

dont get me wrong. im not Stephen Colbert. i see race just like everyone else. i still have preconceived notions to some degree. i think its impossible not to. where i differ is that i dont let stereotypes and preconceived notions define how i look at people. rather than assuming the worst, i give people the benefit of the doubt, and assume that people in general are good. i think we owe it to each other to give one another a chance. you cant write someone off based on how they look.

a friend of mine has a goofy mohawk-ish haircut and piercings and tattoos and generally looks like a dude who is up to no good. the person he is is completely different from that assumption. hes probably the smartest person i know at my own age, he works for a non-profit community outreach company and volunteers on the side.

ive been talking for a while, but the point is as the old adage goes: dont judge a book by its cover.

sure Barack Obama is black. but hes also been a community activist and is Harvard educated. hes a US senator as we speak. or, rather, as i write. i simply cant wrap my mind around what people are afraid of. how do they come to hate and fear other races and religions. i laugh and cry every time someone calls Obama a Muslim. his father was a Muslim, but was not militant. Obama was educated in Muslim schools as a boy, but is openly Christian. Couldnt we stand to benefit from someone who has an understanding of both sides of that divide? Couldnt we stand to benefit from a president with a white mother from Kansas and a black immigrant father? to me, Obama's past is not a liability, it is what made him who he is, it is an asset in many of the challenges that would face him if he were to become our president.

i am glad that Obama and his staff have persevered through the hate and ignorance that have been flung at them. i am also glad that they didnt make a big deal of it. they turned the other cheek and soldiered on. what else can we do. i dont know that it is possible to change those racist and bigoted beleifs. all we can hope for is that they are a dying breed and that the rest of us can prove little by little that there is more than race. that the substance of a person is what matters, not his haircut, his skin color, or his faith, its the character of his person by which he should be judged.

im with the black guy.

as i start to write this i wonder what form it will take. im overwhelmed by Barack Obama's speech. i wasnt able to watch it yesterday, but i just finished reading the transcript. its overwhelming it its honesty, its hope, and its attitude. i dont think that i can do it much justice by adding it, but i do want to elaborate on some of what i was impressed with.

the speech was sparked, as im sure youre aware, but some inflammatory remarks made by Obama's former pastor, Jeremiah Wright. Obama could have handled this in a number of ways. he could have turned his back on a man who has helped define him. he could have turned his back on the church that brought him into the Christian fold. he could have attacked those who attacked him for being divisive. he could have attacked them for judging something that they dont understand. but what makes Obama's reactions great is that he rose above it all.

he turned it all around. he denounced the words, but accepted the man. he exercised something that many supposed Christians have forgotten: forgiving. no one is perfect, everyone has flaws. but you dont stop loving your mother or brother for saying something that you dont agree with. you forgive them, then try to open their eyes.

just like any person in America, the United States is not perfect. but rather than stoop and cut down the people and the problem as Rev. Wright did, Obama acknowledged it and vowed to work on it. he used the phrase "more perfect union" a number of times. the point is that we are not perfect now, nor have ever been. and we may never be. but the idea is to always strive to be, and to grow in that vein.

what makes this speech, and Obama, so great is the unyielding hope and tenacity to cling to those thoughts and ideas that will make this country better, and his unwillingness to let issues dictate his path. his path is set. he is walking the path to make America more perfect. the issues that block this path are obstacles to hurdle. not road signs to another future. everything points to hope.

he wont let his campaign or himself be defined by a single, or even a few issues. he is defined by his overriding push towards a better future for America. it is because of this drive, this hope, this unwillingness to be stopped or derailed by attacks and issues, that i think he is best for the job of President of the United States of America. he does not have all the answers, but he has the intellect and the mindset to absorb the issues that trouble our nation, to seek advice, to think through a solution, and lead this country into a better future.

at this point i cannot see myself casting a ballot for any person other than Obama come November. it would be tragic if he loses the nomination of his party. Hilary may be able to win the White House, but in the process many young Americans will feel disenfranchised with the process. and i feel that Hilary is not as well suited to lead America.

the worst thing that could happen is that Obama loses the nomination, and that as a result the Democratic party is unable to rally behind Hilary, and McCain wins a back door victory built on the rubble of a crumbling Democratic party.

Barack Obama is not perfect. but he is more perfect, and he is everyday striving to be yet more perfect. thats what we need in a president. someone flexible and open minded who can act in the best interest of our nation, not based on preconceived notions, fear, popularity, or money.

youll vote for whomever you like. i just hope that your decision is not defined by a single issue, or by party lines, or by who you'd like to have a beer with. i hope youll take into account all the facets of the person and the country and world that they will be leading. choose wisely America. choose wisely.

this sounds fucking sweet

the Red Bull Air Race World Series: yet another reason to be in Michigan. as if i needed another.

planes flying at 200+mph 30 feet above the Detroit River making lots of crazy turns. sounds awesome. good work to those who put this thing together.