The Other Big "O"

The story of a vastly influential African-American fanning the flames of change in this country is not new.

What's new is that this ray of hope that we can now call nationalism can be linked to the Democratic party.

Not since JFK has there been such a collective consciousness and urgency to correct something that went horribly wrong in our U.S. government for two consecutive terms.

Let's not kid ourselves by thinking that somehow this economy will somehow miraculously recover overnight if Barak Obama is elected president.

Yes, we know there are tough financial times ahead, no matter who gets the presidential nod. Yes, we're aware that Obama will not answer the cries of every citizen in this country, nor does he pretend he will fill that void.

What we do know is that Obama's success story, on top of meeting a long awaited need for an American role model of color, has started to restore some degree of credibility for his party, despite years of Democratic figures "flip-flopping" and ceremoniously crumbling under the pressures mass media and public opinion.

The international stigma of "democracy" being a dirty word infested with double standard rhetoric, unexamined war crimes, and corruption, stands a chance for turn-around.

Fortunately, there seems to be a collective awareness (my un-scientific assessment) that Obama's hard work will not end with his nomination to the White House. He's still gotta PROVE he can run this country without its citizens kicking up a coup.

If you know any of Haiti's history, you'll know that Haitians are no strangers to revolt and physically removing self-serving presidents, even at the expense of their own socio-economic well-being. If you're appointed to that kind of position of power you MUST represent.

Are Americans sick and tired of being sick and tired? No matter what the outcome, I don't anticipate anything less than folks in the streets after this election.

And if you haven't seen it yet, you can check out Ron Howard (li'l Opie) and the Fonz (I didn't think he was around anymore) giving Obama his props.
Anyone hear from Bill Cosby yet?

In Other News...Hunger in Haiti

It's unfortunate that Haiti has made news in the U.S. again because of it's devastation.
The usual standard western media coverage applies: Brief, Sensationalized, then Forgotten.

The only time the "world", that being U.S. mainstream media, notices is when there are large death tolls, pictures of extreme violence and the opportunity for the poorest nation in the western hemisphere to appear to the world to be a hopeless cause. Of course, if Haiti were to be sitting on an endless supply of untapped oil, an expedient rescue effort towards economic reform would be priority #1 for the United States government.

The irony with Haiti is that the parts of Haiti that experience the most corruption and civil unrest are the densely populated are cities like the capital, Port-au-Prince. Whereas the countryside (like Northern Haiti--Cap Haitian), for the most part, are quite peaceful and one can truly appreciate Haiti for what it is--a tropical island rich in history, art and culture.