posted December 31, 2010 01:20 AM            

quote:

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Originally posted by Lonake:
OK I get it,
But there's a difference here.
Obama is President of the United States.
Presidents generally want to be re-elected if possible.

Quote me an article then about his game plan.
Cos what he's doing now isn't working.

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posted December 31, 2010 01:24 AM            

But let it not be said that Glaucus cannot take an idea and run with it.

posted December 31, 2010 01:26 AM            

I am very concerned about ethnic relations in this country. Ever since the presidential race, I am noticing that there is an ethnic divide in USA including especially the Democratic Party. At times, I wished that Barack Obama never ran for president,and so the ethnic tension would not be noticed. Sometimes,I wished that Al Gore would have ran for president. He would have been a good choice. He's not in the presidential race. Barack Obama is. The presidential race between he and Hillary Clinton is showing that ethnicity is a big factor. It's showing that that ethnicism is problem that hasn't gone away. The ethnic divide is so obvious, and I feel that media feeds into it. I also believe that the Clinton campaign has ethnic baited people, and even dismissed Blacks as not being important in the presidential race. That has fueled Barack Obama's backing by Blacks. A lot of people focus on Barack's heritage as a Black, but he's half White on his mother's side. He's technically a bi-ethnic Black,White person. Genetically,he's about the unity of black and white. The Obama campaign has been bridging the gap between Blacks and Whites for many Whites have voted for him and not just many Blacks. He has been running as a multiethnic candidate, a candidate that represents the meltingpot of American. Unfortunately, the media and the Clinton campaign keep focusing on the Black side of Obama. There are some examples. Bill Clinton compares Obama's victory in South Carolina was compared to the black candidate,Jesse Jackson's victory in South Carolina. Geraldine Ferraro said that Obama wouldn't be successful in this race if he wasn't Black. That makes no sense to me. After all, he's not just Black. He's half white too. Geraldine just seem to focus on one half and dismiss the other half. She missed out on who he really is. Also, Obama has gotten far more white votes than Jesse Jackson could ever have received. Could it be that his white half also gives him affinity with whites just like his black half gives him affinity with blacks? Of course, I believe that's the case. Obviously, Geraldine, Bill,and Hillary don't. A lot of the media don't. Obviously there a lot of Americans that don't. The one drop rule seems to persist in USA. Many blacks and whites embrace the rule. It's a society thing that forces us bi-ethnic Black,White people to acknowledge one half and reject the other half. Many fall to society's labels, but many efy society and acknowledge all their heritage.

Barack Obama is being depicted as even more Black now since the Rev Wright fiasco. A lot of whites are criticizing Obama if he is all for unity, then why does he go to a Black church. Do they ever stop to think that Obama wants to get more in touch with the Black in him just like he is already in touch with the White in him after growing up with his White family on his mother's side? A lot of whites accuse Rev Wright of being a racist. How is pointing out the racism in USA being racist. All you have to do is remember that President Bush said to the NAACP about that racism is still a problem in USA. He said that you can change laws,but you can't change a heart. The American Civil Liberties Union called out USA on its racism. They noted the racial profiling that exists in USA. A survey shows that many Americans know people that are racists. Even 20/20 did a show that revealed that people with black sounding names get much less job callbacks than people with white sounding names. These are things that confirm that racism is a still a problem. Rev Wright refers to USA as the US of KKK, and people think that's being paranoid. Can you deny the fact that the KKK still exists in USA? There are 179 Klu Klux Klan Chapters across the United States,and they include 5,000 to 8,000 members. There could even be more members because independent chapters has made KKK groups more difficult to infiltrate and researchers find it hard to estimate their numbers. Some argue that KKK is different because it's not a violent organization now. My response to that is "If there is an Al Qaeda organization in USA that is not violent,should they be allowed to exist here in USA like the KKK. Should the Black Panthers for that matter? I don't believe that any organization that has roots in terrorism should be allowed to exist. Therefore,I believe that all organizations that have terrorist roots should be completely banned. Rev Wright criticized American's policy overseas, and that gets him labeled Anti-American. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr did the same thing,and even said that USA is the greatest purveyor of violence in the world. Does that make Dr. King Anti-American? I don't think so.

Barack Obama had refused to disown his pastor as he refused to disown his white grandmother. Many whites criticized him for throwing his grandmother under a bus. All Barack did was point out that his grandmother made racial remarks about Blacks. How is telling the truth about his white grandmother throwing her under a bus. It's okay for white people to point a black person's racism, but its not okay to point out a white person's racism? I just don't get that at all. It seems like a double standard. Many whites criticize Obama for not disowning his pastor much earlier. Have they ever heard of the sell-out factor? Obama would have been in a dillemma: please whites in America and **** off blacks in America for rejecting a pastor who is prominent in the Black community and who is known for doing a lot to help Blacks which would result in being a sell-out by Blacks OR please blacks in America and **** off whites in America and be called a racist by Whites. These are issues that we bi-ethnic Black,White people deal with. They are often challenged to make a choice when it comes to having affinity with whites or having affinity with blacks. Abolutionist,Frederick Douglass was the son of black woman and white man. He was married to a black woman for a long time until her death. Later on,he married a white woman. He was given a hard time by both blacks and whites. Blacks accused him of betraying Blacks by being with a white woman. Today that's being called a sell-out. His response was that his first wife was the color of his mother,and now his second wife is the color of his father. He wanted to make a point that he wasn't all black and that he acknowledge both his white and black parents. He believed that being married to a white woman shouldn't be a problem for he is half white. Frederick Douglass was the embodiment of unity of Blacks and Whites. Barack Obama has denounced his pastor, and he still is being criticized by whites for taking too long to denounce him, but he's also being criticized by blacks for denouncing him too. The conflict of the black and white halves inside him and mirrored by the outside world are very apparent.

Obama has been accused of being an elitist for talking to San Franciscans about blue collar working class Pennsylvanians about being bitter and that that they could cling to guns and religion. Obama's opponents made the elitist charge after the senator from Illinois said some small-town Pennsylvanians are understandably "bitter" over the government's failure to reverse their economic decline and, in their frustration, "cling to guns and religion." He made the statement at a recent fundraiser in San Francisco, California. Bill Clinton said something similar. He said " When their economic policies fail, when the country's coming apart rather than coming together, what do they do? They find the most economically insecure white men and scare the living daylights out of them. They know if they can keep us looking at each other across a racial divide, if I can look at Bobby Rush and think, Bobby wants my job, my promotion, then neither of us can look at George Bush and say, 'What happened to everybody's job? What happened to everybody's income? What ... have ... you ... done ... to ... our ... country?'" So why is it that Obama says similar things and is referred to as being an elist and angers the blue collar working class whites. Could the word "elitist" actually be referred to as "uppity" which is often reserved for blacks who stood up for themselves. Many racist whites believe that blacks should "stay in their place" and they can be offended by a black person who is successful. Of course, if a black person talks about the problems that they have,they could be far more offended than a white person saying it. If a white person said, he would be often viewed as being understanding and compassionate. There is something patronizing and condescending when a Black express understanding and compassion for the problems of whites.

These are some things that I have see as double standards of blacks and whites which are part of the ethnic divide. The perceptions,opinions,and views often differ between what a black person does and a white person does. It's always been that way,and those things have to change. I haven't use the word,race except for saying the presidential race. That's because I don't acknowledge the concept of races. I acknowledge ethnic groups. We are all part of the Human Race. In that we are the same. Therefore,we should focus more on that and less on our differences. Like Reverend Wright said, being different doesn't mean deficient. People can be different and equal, but they don't have to be separate. The unity of differences can bring about meaningful co-existence of thenic that advance the evolution of the human race.

I have talked about the issues of ethnic relations in our country. It's not about trying to divide us. I believe that pointing out things isn't dividing but waking people up. I don't believe that ignorance is bliss.

We should discuss about our differences and their similarities. Learning about the similarities to find common ground.
There could be a multiethnic,multicultural week which would be about all ethnic groups getting together, teach about their cultures and way of life even included their cuisine. There could be multicultural,multiethnic exhibits.
We could watch movies with interethnic theme like "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner","Guess Who","Soulman","Jungle Fever",and others. There could be books about multiethnic people and interethnic relationships like "Love In Black and White" by interethnic couple, Mark and Gail Mathanabe. Music based on multiethnic relations could be played like
"Ebony and Ivory" by Stevie Wonder, "Black and White by Michael Jackson",and "Take Away the Colour" by Ice MC.

There could be an annual survey in regards to ethnic relations including questions like how many know people of certain ethnic groups, how many people go to gatherings,functions that involve different ethnic groups, things like food. We could also ask things about interethnic friendships/dating/relationships. Questions about negative things should be asked including experiences of ethnic bigotry,discrimination. We could ask about fears,resentments in regards to ethnic groups. I also feel that questions of affirmative action,reparations can be part of the survey. I also believe that ethnic stereotypes need to be addressed during the survey to see how many people believe in them. After all,ethnic stereotypes tend to be offensive and they factor into ethnic prejudices. I also believe that we should make the June 12, 1967 Loving vs. Virginia Supreme Court Ruling (that struck down all interracial marriage laws in USA) ruling the day that multiethnic,multicultural week begins. We can discuss the importance of that ruling and how it has impacted interethnic relations.

These surveys can be done anonymously too. I feel empathy and tolerance can only be done through actual experiencing. I feel that you have to walk a mile in a person's moccasins to understand them. That's just my view.
Maybe that's how we can bring ethnic groups together.

I am the son of a white woman and a black father. I had half Japanese stepsisters. I have a stepgrandmother that is Hispanic who is the mother of my part Hispanic aunts/uncles. I have half Filipino cousins as the result of one of my maternal uncles married to a Filipino woman. Therefore I have a diverse heritage and background. I was even born in the multiethnic,multicultural city of San Francisco,California which is where my parents met. I grew and still live in Sacramento,California which was identified by Time magazine and the Civil Rights Project of Harvard University as the most racially/ethnically integrated major city in America. I grew up believe that we should all love each other. I grew up believing in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's Dream. God bless the day when the gap between Blacks and Whites is closed.

Here is a pictures of me and my mother http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q112/Astynaz/ray3yrsold.jpg http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q112/Astynaz/ray21whismother.jpg

I end with a poem that I wrote:

U N I T Y

Unity is our ultimate goal
for we are the same
underneath our skins
that come in many colors.
Remember our blood
is the same color.
So keep that in mind.
Don't throw away the dream
which is unity.
There are no separate races
for there is only one race,
and that is the Human Race.
We are all created equal
because we are all human beings,
and so we should unite
on our home planet, Earth.
In order for our world to survive,
we have to stop the violence
and eradicate the hate
which will ultimately destroy us all.
Eternal peace will only be achieved
through love and compassion
as we struggle to coexist.
We should love each other
for we are all related
and should be in unity.

I love this song. "Take Away The Colour"
I love the positive message http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/search/take%2Baway%2Bthe%2Bcolour/video/x2ap6k_ice-mc-take-away-the-colour_music

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No..I am not a Virgo.

posted December 31, 2010 02:52 AM            

quote:

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Originally posted by coconutcancermoon:
My 8 year old always said that his issue with Obama is that he too frequently says "uuhh" whenever he makes a speach. He says it's because he's dishonest lol, I told him that's the definition of politician, however, I like Obama, he's very eloquent and intelligent and more than anything makes a wonderful role model for young black men.

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There are many people who do "uhh" ,"ummm", and are not dishonest.

It doesn't have anything to do with being dishonest. Some people might actually have a speech problem. That's common with neurodivergents like Dyslexics,Dyspraxics,and Autistics. Speech delays/problems are well known early warning signs of Dyslexia,Dyspraxia,and Autism.

As a person with Dyslexia and Dyspraxia,
I have history of speech problems myself. I had similar speech that Obama has in regards to what seems like a mild stutter/stammer. I even have similar speech issues like Bush in regards to messing up and saying the wrong word. Bush has a family history of Dyslexia, and some suspect that he has Dyslexia because of his word retrieval issues which are known symptom of Dyslexia.

I have delays in understanding what people say to me when talking to me, and so it takes me longer than the average person to respond to a question. That's called auditory input speech lags.

It has nothing to do with being slow,stupid,or dishonest.

It has to do with being overloaded with information for my brain to process.
I tend to have too much information to my ears for my brain to process. I also tend to have too much information to my eyes for my brain to process. Those things are thought to be sensory integration/processing issues which are very common thing for neurodivergents to have. Autistics have them the most extreme.

It's also connected to a poor short term memory which has connections with problems organizing and decoding the information. Problems processing sequential information is also a factor. Sequential information is a fact in our speaking and writing. Paragraphs are sentences in sequential order. Sentences are words in sequential order. Words are letters in sequential order. If a person has problem with processing sequential information, then they are more likely to have problems with short term memory which will tend to have an adverse effect on receptive language that include listening and reading which could also result in problems with expressive language which could include speaking and writing. I tend to have these issues. Futhermore, my problems with short term memory and processing sequential information also adversely effect my coordination in regards to watching and repeating motor movements. In other words, poor kinesthetic memory.

I am also primarily a visual, picture thinker like many neurodivergents are. I think mainly in pictures instead of words. Therefore, verbal,word thinking is secondary. It didn't come natural to me. I had therapies that helped me develop verbal/word thinking as well as competent auditory processing and competent speech. I used to have auditory reversals that led to me to have speech reversals. I had disorganized,tangential,incomplete speech.

Of course, I need time to translate words into pictures during receptive language processing. During expressive language processing, I think in pictures and translate to words. That leads to delay in response to what a person says or writes to me.

There is a lot of information about this stuff on the internet.

I don't know Barack Obama, and so I don't know why he has speech issues.

I just know that many people have similar speech issues, and they are connected to their neurodivergence and not dishonesty nor low intelligence.

Also being hesitant with eye contact or overall problems with eye contact doesn't mean dishonesty either.

Many neurodivergents have problems with eye contact. This goes especially for autistics.
I am no different.

It could be a sensory integration issue.
They might have a problem looking at people and processing speech(speaking,listening) at the same time. They might have ocular motor movement issues that could include issues with fixating on an object. They simply have clumsy eyes. All that applies to me.

Children need to be educated about speech issues. Many children look down on other children because they have speech problems which they see is a sign of being stupid. The children with speech problems get picked on. I know this from personal experience. When I was in special education and had bad speech/language problems, I got picked on and teased a lot. I was called "retard" on a daily basis even though I have above average intelligence like many neurodivergents do

Here is some information

Auditory processing issues and more speech issues http://people.tribe.net/4b0cf8c4-1fc3-4171-92d3-b0915985bf95/blog/d87e5677-04ab-47e3-9280-68002777fd46

Neurodivergents in regards to problems with handshaking and eye contact http://people.tribe.net/4b0cf8c4-1fc3-4171-92d3-b0915985bf95/blog/28950ec9-1113-4b7b-9785-d8bf8a831aa5

Loose and/or or Rapid Speech in Disorders Other Than Mental Illness
http://people.tribe.net/4b0cf8c4-1fc3-4171-92d3-b0915985bf95/blog/30374e65-6843-4843-b689-d30a34ae8e54

These neurodivergent things overlap with schizophrenic symptoms. Many neurodivergents have been diagnosed as having schizophrenia. Autism used to be thought as a form of schizophrenia. I was misdiagnosed as having schizoaffective disorder myself because of my speech irregularities. I believe that psychiatric reform is needed,and it wold include psychiatrists have their patients do neurological and psychological testing to differentiate neurodivergent conditions from psychiatric disorders and not just going by observation.

Any ways....hesitant speech and problems with eye contact aren't necessarily dishonesty.

Neurotypicals need to understand that. This would make things easier for neurodivergents.

You really can't judge a book by its cover.
That's what you do when you judge people based on their manner of speech and eye contact.

First impressions often don't work with neurodivergents.

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No..I am not a Virgo.

posted December 31, 2010 11:12 AM            

Thank you for this post. Education is empowerment and will be passed on to my little one. What makes me feel all the more ashamed is that I am also a neurodivergent. I nickname myself "absentminded professor" because of my short term memory. I am fully aware of my intelligence, however, due to bi-polar disorder at times it can be very difficult for me to communicate, especially when I am very excited or very angry.

Yes, I was done with this thread, however, it took a turn for me that hit home.

posted December 31, 2010 05:26 PM            

quote:

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Therefore, Obama. But he's only gonna get 1 term so he better savor it.

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Haha that's only if the Republicans can nominate someone that isn't a complete nutjob (which is going to be hard to find as only nutjobs appeal to the Republican base). Mitt Romney's apparently running again, but he's not popular among most Republicans. They're not going to elect him in a primary.

posted December 31, 2010 06:01 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by coconutcancermoon:
amowls

Palin . . . I know zero about politics, but that is a very scary thought.

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posted January 01, 2011 01:06 AM            

quote:

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Originally posted by hmm:
obama is scarier cuz he has more power over the people...
with dumb people like bush and palin...it was easy to see what you were getting your self into....
at he end of the day....THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE BTWN ANY OF THEM....they are all just pupets...
watch the video

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posted January 01, 2011 01:11 AM            

Lets get back to ASTRO, ASTRO, ASTRO.

posted January 02, 2011 06:41 AM            

quote:

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Originally posted by Nine:
He wouldn't have gotten this far if he was self willed.

I'm guessing you're not aware that the system is & has been compromised for some time now.

Bill Clinton, the last Leo to thunder from the Oval Office famously remarked; once you before President you realize all the important decisions have already been made for you.

He tried going against the grain and wound up in "fluffer-gate".

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