FLIPSIDE 1.8

Just browsing through the newspaper this evening - online of course(does anybody still read the physical paper?)- Anyway, I was reading a story about Obama and Hilary making public appearances and seemingly putting their differences behind them. I figure they may as well, so that the democratic voters won't be so split. I have been a democratic voter since I cast a vote to send Bill into the White house the first time and will continue to be until I have been convinced that the republican party has any interest in today's middle class African American. Much to my dismay, there are voters who seem to base the election more on race and religion than on politics and economy.



After I read the story, I read the comments from the readers below it. I was somewhat astounded. I saw comments that said it is only because of white guilt that Obama is getting the votes he has thus far. Other comments were attacking his religion-questioning whether he really is a christian or not. Didn't the church and government break ties long time ago? Hasn't society been begging us as black people to stop crying about race issues in America, yet white people have began to use it more than we do now that a black man could potentially be the next leader of our country? As I write this blog, I figure it may sound something like a rant, but to see so many comments like those on one page makes me realize how far we as blacks in America have come and how far we still need to go to get to an even playing field.



Not so many years ago, I suppose it would have been unheard of to even have a black man in this close of a position, or even being a serious contender for the Oval Office. Even with this great opportunity though, comes the proof that we are not yet equal. Most voters who are against Obama are against him because they don't want to see a black man as president--that is my assumption. This is my assumption because who would in their right minds vote for a third Bush administration, which would pretty much be the case if McCain gets in office. Catch ya' on the FLIPSIDE.

FLIPSIDE 1.7

About ten years ago there was a young man from Pontiac, MI that gained national attention after shooting and killing a Pontiac man at the age of 11. After conviction, then 11 year old Nathaniel Abraham, was sentenced to a facility until the age of 21 at which time he would then be under house arrest for some period of time afterward.

Those 10 years have come and gone and Abraham was set free earlier this year. Most people in his community rallied around him for support and guidance in hopes that this troubled young man would get his life on track, perhaps proving that one can be rehabilitated in such a facility as he had been apart of for the last 10 years. Now, in regret to all his supporters, Abraham has been arrested in connection to some alleged drug charges and probation issues.

Now, I am not in anyway, taking up for or excusing Abraham for his actions because he is an adult and in full control of good and bad decision making. I will, however, say that spending most of your developmental years behind the walls of a facility, then being injected back into a community that struggles to fight crime, poverty, and education issues does somewhat put you into cycle that is hard to be broken.

What Abraham needs is for his supporters to remain supportive and not turn their backs to him and rely on a judicial system that has pretty much slapped us as black people in the face since slave auctions were legal and our ancestors were sold off like tools. With all of that said, I don't want it to seem as though I condone his actions, but I do however empathize with his situation.

I suppose a comment made by a reader in respect to the article on Abraham in a recent Detroit Free Press almost made me shiver. Perhaps I had taken it the wrong way, but I became offended immediately and it urged me to write this piece. This is the comment in question-eewally wrote on freep.com-

It's high time to start putting bullets in these people's heads. We
can't afford rehab anymore. Its not working. Too many thugs that
just love the free food, shelter and camaraderie. It's time to
start culling the gene pool.

Start culling the gene pool? I wonder if Nathaniel Abraham had been white and premeditated an assault on a school with shotguns that left many wounded and some dead - would we still be talking about culling the gene pool? Catch ya' on the FLIPSIDE.