Tuesday, September 02, 2008

Whitey Can Vote

Here's the deal - I grew up in a pretty racially diverse neighborhood. I can remember the neighborhood kids coming over for my birthday parties and I never paid attention to what color everyone was. We were all KIDS. Fast forward to high school when I had a "friend" from childhood condemn me for being white. I never judged her, but rather she decided that she no longer wanted to hang out because I was "a cracker". Hmmm...reverse discrimination?

Through college I talked to everyone. Black, white, gay, straight, male, female, old, young. I really didn't care. If you were nice, we were cool. Isn't that how life is supposed to be? Now, fast forward again - 10 years to a new election.

And I am mad. Yes. Why? This sums it up...



Everyone is entitled to their opinion. Everyone is entitled to vote for whomever they choose. But, I am a consenting adult, one that has a right to vote and I also have a right to speak my opinion. Do I think Obama is a good speaker. Yes - I do. Do I think that Jeremiah Wright is a racist. YES - I do. Will I vote for Obama. NO - I won't. Do I think that your mentor can affect how you feel? Yes. I do. Am I not voting for Obama because of race? NO. Am I not voting based on principles and my own morals. Yes. Would I vote for Colin Powell tomorrow. Yes - I would. Does that pretty much defeat any racism argument for my vote. Damn straight it does.

I'm watching Headline News right now and I have to say - I just heard the best quote. The correspondent said "Palin has been criticized more in the past week than Obama in 18 months by the media." Sad, but true. It's amazing how people will only see what they want to see. Everyone is up in arms because Palin's 17 year old daughter is pregnant. Well, guess what - she's not the first, she won't be the last. But, because her mom is running for VP, I guess she is now the target of media scrutiny. Admit it people - how many of us were doing the same thing that could have landed us in that position at 17. I guarantee a VAST majority.

What's the point of this blog? I don't know. I guess just to weed through some of the bullshit that I think is out there.

It's times like this that I think about Marianne Smith, a dear woman that I loved and adored and often called "grandmother". She was a black woman from the south who was a dear friend of the family and someone that I admired. She would tell me stories about growing up in the south and she was never bitter - never angry. She was always loving. She never made me feel bad for being a different color than she as well as vice versa. I lost Marianne four years ago, but I refuse to lose her faith in people. And that my friends, is one of the reasons why I'm taking this stand.

The other? My dad would have been 76 today. He fought in Korea during the conflict - served his country for four years overseas. Am I patriotic? Damn straight I am. Do I expect the same out of my President. Yes - I do.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

You ROCK G. 'Nuff said.
xo
t.

Anonymous said...

:) ahhhhhhhhhhhh yes. :)
Thanks for saying it...
-kelly

Debbi said...

You go.....I myself was an unwed mother with my first child. Lo and behold he's a good church going father of three (One adopted) Media, leave the family alone.
Debbi M

Morris said...

I think the issue that some have is that Palin is a strong advocate for "abstinence only" based sex education. It obviously didn't work in this case.

annette said...

thank you for being so straight out about your feelings. more of us need to stand and speak up! good for you.

Anonymous said...

Hi ginger, just visited your site today for the first time. I was not expecting to see the video. I saw the Obama video and you know what? It scared me to death. it made me realize now what i had not realized before. I am sending that video to my friends and will spread the word that way. The potential for the unknown scares me. i agree with everything you said. thanks for putting this on your blog. Thanks for making me think harder about the upcoming election. i have always thought he had an alterior motive, but who am I??? i'll tell you who i am, i've been in the army for 22 years and getting ready to retire soon. i am extremely patriotic. my parents immigrated to this country in 68. i feel I owe the US and so does everybody who is lucky enough to live here. i am also a mother and art lover/scrapper. that's what led me to your site initally. thank you for opening my eyes even wider. you have a fan now!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

You go girl... I am standing up and cheering for your words. :)