Sieg heil,comrad

Yesterday, our quiet Midwestern suburb was visited by three men and a sign. The sign, held by a tall African-American with a football players build, was a picture of President Obama on which was drawn Hitler's mustache. The two White men assured me that Obama was a socialist just like Adolph. There's not much I can do, or want to do, to deny anyone their right to free speech, even if, as is the case with this trio, they are woefully undereducated and clearly into scare tactics.

Adolph Hitler has been dead for 64 years, or officially dead if you discount the numerous theories that he survived and lived in obscurity in Argentina. Still, the very sight of his Charlie Chaplin mustache is enough to conjure images of terror, war, genocide and the loss of civil liberties, the hallmarks of German fascism. You cannot be both Fascist and Communist or Socialist at the same time. "But, but, but," interjected the older of the White protestors, "It was called the National Socialist German Workers Party." Yeah, well, it could also have been called The Official Shirley Temple Fan Club and it would still be fascist and still diametrically opposed to socialism. And I am not defending socialism here, I just wish people knew the difference or at least respected the difference.

The difference made no difference to our friendly local tea baggers, for that is what they were, with sign up sheets, literature and smarmy smiles. I cannot believe that there is this much anger simply because our government passed a law that made it difficult for insurance companies to deny coverage to those who need it most. The economy tanked before Obama and while I do not agree with everything he has done and proposes at least he is doing something other than nationalizing the banks and establishing Socialism for the wealthy.

I just wish people were educated enough to know what they are talking about when they take to the streets and level insane charges against a man who clearly won the majority vote for the presidency.

The Black Agenda

President Obama was the target of some barbs from black leaders meeting in Chicago this weekend who believe the president has not address the "black agenda" of increasing employment and educational opportunities. I thought that as president of the United States he was suppose to do that for all of us.

Nation of Islam Minister Louis Farrakhan said that as President Obama received the support of African-Americans, "we have a right to expect something of the brother." Well, the president was elected by a majority of people in the United States and not by one voting block. And we ALL have a right to expect that he will deliver on some of what he promised.

The racial divide in the United States continues, helped by racists of all colors. That famous slave holder Thomas Jefferson may have had it right when he said of slavery, "It's like holding a tiger by the tail. You cannot hold on forever and you dare not let go." Abraham Lincoln's initial plan was to free all the slaves and send them to Liberia. During the American Civil War, Lincoln negotiated contracts with businessmen to colonize freed slaves to Panama and to a small island off the coast o Haiti. He understood that scar of slavery might make it impossible for freed slaves to live in the United States. It appears that Lincoln was on to something.

Slavery continued after the Civil War in the South and Southern voters eroded any inroads Blacks made to assimilate into the whole of life in the United States. It really wasn't until the 1950s when the Caucasian population joined the struggle for Civil Rights that Black people became full citizens of the United States. People died in that struggle and some of them were Caucasian.

So, I understand why, 50 years later, the black community views the rest of us with a jaundiced eye. But the fact remains that Barak Obama, for whatever reason, appealed to a wide audience and was elected president. But he is president for all of us and no one group should expect special treatment or considerations.

The problems confronting the United States effect all of us. We all have a right to expect that as president, Obama will address these issues. He cannot and should not be expected to fix everything for everybody. It just doesn't work that way. But harkening back 50 years to the way things were and asking for special treatment now does not seem to me to be particularly helpful to anyone.

Unless, of course, the real issue is for a small cadre of Black activists to keep their agenda and names in the press.

Dumb Stuff

US Rep Steve Asutria (R-OH) believes that the Obama stimulus package will have a negative effect on the US economy. Said Asturia: "When President Franklin Roosevelt did this, he put our country in a Great Depression." The depression began with the stock-market crash of 1929 and Roosevelt took office in 1933.

John McCain announced that he is planning to run for another term as US senator and the current economic crisis is the clincher. McCain will run as an obstructionist, having already voted against the Obama stimulus package, which, he said will saddle our "children and grandchildren with a staggering debt." Unlike the shenanigans of  the past eight years.

The treasury department announces a new stimulus package and the Dow falls like a rock.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) attacked President Obama for not being bipartisan and a bad leader and threatened to further obstruct bills that might come up as the administration attempts to dig out of the mess caused by the GOP.

The Mattel Company on February 5 unveiled a new Barbi doll depicting German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

President for less than a month, Obama's approval rating has dropped by 10 points since the first week of February.

Ann Coulter is being investigated for vote fraud--again. In her new book Coulter says that unwed mothers are a bigger threat to the United States than smoking.