I can say, without reservation, that the past election season was one helluva rollercoaster ride. And it wasn't just because this time around a black man was running for this nation's highest office.
We've had black men and a black woman who have run before.
Remember Shirley Chisholm? And of course Jesse Jackson has thrown his hat in the ring a couple of times. No this election will stand out for me because of the division it caused. And although now President Obama insisted during his campaign that there are no red states and blue states, his words came across more as an ideal rather than a reality.
This time around you could clearly see the divide that separates us in this country, the almost religious fervor with which people embrace their particular party.
To be honest, I saw this more with the Republicans than I saw it with Democrats, but in all fairness I suspect that both sides have a fervent love for their respective mascots, whether it be Donkey or Elephant.
For me, the choice was clear. Barack Obama all the way. As far as I could tell, Obama didn't have the health issues that haunted McCain, and he was willing to end the war in Iraq, and reverse many of the decisions that President Bush had put in place--Gitmo, and spying on Americans.
And although domestic spying was supposedly ended after it was uncovered, I wasn't quite sure what other illegal crap was in place that we Americans weren't privy to.
Now that Chaney has admitted that he gave his approval for the use of "enhanced interrogation techniques," torture for the rest of us, many are wondering if the Obama administration will investigate war crimes, and prosecute, if such crimes are discovered.
Just today, I watched and listened to a Republican spokesperson support the principle of "preemptive war" and "torture."
My God has it come to this: that the Constitution, our laws, and our international treaties can be set aside, not to mention the conscience of those we hire to protect us, under the guise that the enemy doesn't play by our rules, so we may just as well dismiss them.
"If I know someone wants to hurt me and my family, I'm not going to wait until they carry out such a heinous act, I'm going to kill them first. And if they have information I need to keep my family safe, I'm going to torture the hell out of them."
I'm told that we're a nation of laws and that no one is above the law. That may be true, but let's face it, the big guns aren't going to go down if someone or someones are found to have committed crimes.
As always, it will be the grunts who'll have to answer for the "sins" of their superiors. And, we're told, that no one is immune just because he or she claim that he or she were merely following orders, if those orders are later determined to be illegal.
Let me make a confession. I don't like Republicans. Now don't get me wrong. It's not because I find their conservative principles repugnant. No, I have no problem with their principles. It's just that I find them repugnant--their arrogance, their mean-spiritedness, their smug belief that their party is the correct and righteous party as though it has been blessed by God, Himself, as His chosen party--or so it seems.
It's their vilification, and demonization of everything liberal, as though every liberal, every Democrat lack their intelligence, their smartness, and their superior savvy.
Now, to be fair, something I don't see much from the other side, let me state that not all Democrats are saints, that some go over the line as well, but, frankly, I just don't see them doing that as much as I see Republicans.
And I try really hard to acknowledge those that have slipped over the edge, regardless of party. Blago (Rod Blagojevich readily comes to mind) as someone who slipped over the edge.
And I've visited conservative and Republican blog sites. I have yet to find one that is balanced or fair. Like scoundrels, they take refuge in their so-called conservative principles, and Republican ideologies, as though their principles carry the same authority as the Ten Commandments.
And some black conservatives, and some black Republicans wonder why more blacks don't find the same poltical answers in the Republican party that they find. Seriously!
If blacks haven't been invited (and I don't see any indication that they're welcomed), I seriously doubt that blacks are going to crash the party.
"If they only knew what our party was all about. We're clearly the better party. We have the best plan for black Americans. Why do they continue to be pawns in the hands of those damn Democrats."
Someone needs to tell Republicans that their way is merely another way, not the only way.
Now what do I make of their recent recalcitrance in opposing the Stimulus Bill, and their willingness to do absolutely nothing about the economy but dole out more tax cuts? Bush gave out two trillion dollars in tax cuts, and a large portion of it went to those who didn't need it--the wealthy. And we're still trying to dig our way out of our economic morass.
I'm thinking that these Republicans won't be happy until we have a One Party government, where they get to call all the shots, and the notion of liberalism is forever stripped from the monuments, the documents, and the minds of the people.
Now, on Monday evening, HBO will be televising a documentary. It's called, Right America: Feeling Wronged - Some Voices from the Campaign Trail, by that award winning, liberal filmmaker Alexandra Pelosi, you know, the one akin to that other liberal that Republicans love to hate, Nancy Pelosi. That's the evening I set aside for the next installment of 24 and Jack Bauer, so I'm going to have to TiVO it.
Good, that way I can take a closer look at certain key scenes at will.
No, I don't think that all Republicans are repugnant, some just give the others a bad name. The Republican moderates that took the Stimulus Bill well beyond the reach of a Republican filibuster are Republicans that have the nation's best interest at heart.
And there are others that put country above party affiliations, but there's not many.
What I'm betting is that the documentary is going to show a nation so divided, so torn down the middle (after all, 58 million voted for the McCain/Palin ticket, so wrong to be Right, that it would take a complete blog entry to do it justice), that Jesus Christ, Himself, couldn't unite this nation.
Jesus warned:
"Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand...."
Let me get to the heart of it: I haven't seen this documentary, so I'm going to go out on a limb here. I'm betting again that this documentary is going to support much of the sentiments that I have expressed here about how I feel about Republicans. And I'm willing to bet further that black Republicans will defend whatever light their fellow Republicans are cast in--even if it's negative one.
I suspect that much of this fervor against liberals this time around is not just because liberals won, but because liberals won with a black man--a black man that is now leading our nation. For them, I imagine, its a lot like Uncle Tom's Cabin meets Idiocracy
"We're not ready for this. We're moving too fast. This man was not ready to lead. He's a socialists. He's a terrorist, and he palled around with terrorists. "
Well, time nor history is going to wait until they are ready. The train has left the station and all that aren't onboard are going to be left behind, holding their heavy luggage, and wondering if and when there will be a "next" train.
Republican's seem to be doing whatever they can to bring about the demise of the Democratic Party. Yet, as their numbers dwindle, and their short-sightedness continue to erode their base, it may be their funeral that we end up attending.
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