Obama: Black? White? Both? Neither?

Well, believe it or not, the Dean of Cincinnati's issue about whether or not it is appropriate to call Obama "Black" or "African-American" has made the mainstream media. An AP story made it to the Axinar news desk via AOL of all places asking Is Obama Black, White, Both, or Neither?

Now probably the most pertinent fact on the subject is Obama's own opinion of his identity - he has been quoted as saying, "I identify as African-American — that's how I'm treated and that's how I'm viewed. I'm proud of it."

That should probably be the end of the story.

However, the AP story goes on to say, "The entire issue balances precariously on the 'one-drop' rule ..." referring to a time when a person with any African ancestry at all could never be a full citizen.

The "one-drop" rule has nothing to do, IMHO, with the ethnic identity of Barack Obama or the Haap boys.

Now the Dean himself chimes in with "Of course it's not offensive to be called 'black' But is it accurate?". But of course it's quite impossible to discuss whether or not someone is "accurately" designated as Black because the designation itself, at least in early 21st century Cincinnati, is utterly subjective.

Of course we have Dr. Henry Louis "Skip" Gates of Harvard who discovered that one actually can discover a quite accurate analysis of one's ancestry through something as simple as a cheek swab. Among a considerable A-list of African-American celebrities, Gates himself is probably the most surprising - both sex-linked genetic markers are European, and his nuclear DNA is 50% African, 50% European. And yet, quite clearly by upbringing and cultural association Skip Gates is a "garden variety Black dude".

As he tested celebrity after celebrity, each that would be culturally associated as a "garden variety Black person", a similar story was told. For instance Oprah Winfrey had considerable Native American ancestry, Mae Jemison had considerable far east Asian ancestry, but most had something on the order of 25 - 35% European ancestry.

In particular there was a conversation that Gates had with Maya Angelou when he revealed to her the percentage of European blood coursing through her veins and he asked her if she found this disturbing in any way. She said, "Why? It's who I am. Why should I have a problem with it?"

And from the Malaysian contingent, the one place we might have some hope of objectivity we have "Why call him Black when he isn't fully Black, but half-White and half-Black?".

Again, we have a problem from the "Gates Gang" - every single one of these individuals who clearly have a Black identity and area often considered leaders of the African-American community have CONSIDERABLE European ancestry and often considerable Asian ancestry.

In fact, IMHO, having heard some of the discussions of the interactions between the American African-American community and recent African immigrants, I'd almost have to say in order to comfortably BE "African-American" you almost have to have some considerable non-African ancestry.

This whole thing should NOT be that big of an issue. Of course the Dean if perfectly welcome to raise his children any way he wants, but that we have a Black man moving into the White House January 20th just doesn't seem to me to be that much subject to debate.

I Think Julia Sweeney's About To Have An Accident

Former Saturday Night Live performer Julia Sweeney has a blog that I have on my RSS feeds. She doesn't post very often but she has one that apparently she posted sometime this morning saying that she is breathing again over Obama getting elected.

Now, it's a foregone conclusion that I was an Obama supporter and have also been embarrassed to live in a country that TWICE elected George W. Bush to office, but some of these Obama-gasms still going on five days after the election are tripping me out.

Julia Sweeney was one of my favorite SNL performers though, so I'll cut her some slack that maybe she has been working on this piece for a few days and it captures some of the virtually indescribable elation that swept the nation - yes - let's say it this way - at 10pm Central Standard Time, 4 November, Year of the Common Era Two-Thousand-Eight.

Actually, on the subject, there was another scene that somehow came to mind that night, although I'm having difficulty translating it to this particular event - it was the scene in the original Battlestar Galactica episode "War of the Gods" when Count Iblis promised to deliver their enemy, Baltar and, as the promise was fulfilled Lorne Greene's Adama said, "This is an event unlike any we've experienced since the destruction of our civilization. Baltar's ship is reaching our quadrant and is being intercepted by an elite squadron which will escort the treasonous instrument of our holocaust directly into our hands. Word is spreading like sunbursts through every corner of the fleet. It is a jubilation unprecedented as Baltar is brought before the Council of Twelve. It is just as Count Iblis promised. Our enemy has been delivered."

Yes, if you can make the stretch, based on reports of many Bush executive orders about to be reversed, our enemy has been delivered ...

President-Elect Barack Obama on Election Night

Well produced piece of Barack Obama's election night speech ...

Obama Birth Certificate Controversy STILL Not Going Away

I just got word that there is a movement afoot to contact the Electors from each state to insist that a "forensic team" be put together to examine the "vault copy" of Barack Obama's birth certificate in Hawaii to verify it's authenticity.

Oh dear.

There's one thing you haven't considered, gang - even if you verify the authenticity of the "vault copy" of the birth certificate you have no way of proving that it is connected to the individual speaking from "The Office of the President-Elect" about being a "mutt" and whatnot.

Although I have been giving this topic some thought vis a vis the "Hillary" angle.

Now, Obama of course mentioned yesterday that he is not privy to some intelligence he hadn't been up until now, but, did he have access to Confidential, Secret, or Top Secret intelligence even as a Senator?

In another article I read something about the fact that the military is scrambling to get clearances run on members of the Transition team so that they can get up to speed as much as possible, but where in this process would Obama himself have been cleared?

Of course, again, we're talking about a process that requires only U.S. Citizenship and not natural born citizenship, but if Obama has a DOD clearance then that at least means that the "Indonesia angle" did not deprive Obama of his citizenship.

Also, there were stories floating around that Obama's relatives in Kenya wouldn't be granting interviews until after the election. Well, it's after the election - what do THEY have to say?

Related:
Andy Martin triggers new Electoral College opposition to Barack Obama - Andy Martin: Contrarian Commentary

"The Right To Be A Man ... To Be A Human Being ..."

I went to an urban high school in the mid 1980's that was about 60% Black at the time.

I would never claim to be "down" to 100% understanding what it means to be Black in America, but there was one incident that always stuck with me.

There was a particularly articulate brother in my "Public Affairs" class my Senior year who got into a MONUMENTAL argument with the teacher one day.

This teacher was saying something along the lines, "I can certainly imagine circumstances where I might end up on welfare - possibly for the rest of my life, but I would spend ever single day telling my children, 'It's not supposed to be this way.'"

This brother in the class said something to the effect, "How in the WORLD do you expect me to have a positive attitude when I have to get up every morning, look in the mirror, and be faced with the fact that my ancestors were slaves?"

There were various points that went back and forth between this brother and the teacher. Eventually this brother got so upset he left the classroom.

Like I said - I would never claim to be "down", but one thing I did pick up was that due to four centuries or more of "bad blood", there were African-Americans who entertained the notion on a way too frequent basis that they might be somehow less than human or at least hopelessly a notch below "the white folks".

I once knew another brother who told me he'd never pledge allegiance to the United States because of the 3/5 clause. Again I see this theme that I presume goes something like this, "the document that created the United States made me 3/5 of a person".

Then of course there is the classic Malcolm X quote, "We declare our right on this earth to be a human being, to be respected as a human being, to be given the rights of a human being in this society, on this earth, in this day, which we intend to bring into existence by any means necessary."

There was an evening I spent listening to a lecture by the Rev. Fred Price. It took him over three hours to explain that his own mentor had hopelessly offended him when he said he didn't believe in interracial dating. Fred Price said, "Mrs. Price and I have been married for over 50 years. I'm not looking for a date. But if you're saying you wouldn't want to see my son dating your daughter you're saying you're better than me and that I DO have a problem with."

I had African-American neighbors growing up and I remember the first time I visited them with my then Black girlfriend. I was quite surprised by the reaction. With some Whites, if a Black neighbor young man brought home a White girlfriend there would be an attempted murder before the end of the evening. My neighbors were delighted. I couldn't figure out why. Perhaps it was the opposite of what Fred Price was trying to say - if the neighbor, who looks very different from you, brings home a date who DOES look like you, maybe that somehow communicates that the neighbor thinks you're okay.

So what happened last night.

I have to admit I was somewhat overcome with emotion when 11pm hit and they called the West Coast, and the election, for Obama.

I found myself struggling to even form the thoughts of what had just happened. The foreign press keeps tossing around the simple, "First Black President", but it seems something much bigger happened.

In fact I was reminded of a conversation I once had with Buzz Aldrin when he explained to me that he gave himself communion just after he touched down on the moon because he felt something appropriate needed to be done to mark the occasion but he never figured out exactly what that would be so he borrowed something from his Presbyterian background.

What exactly DO you do to commemorate the fact that several tens of millions of White people just FINALLY granted the humanity back to the entire Black race?

And what exactly do you to do commemorate the fact that these snotty White shits FINALLY gave a tiny flash of inspiration that they ARE a race worth saving?

But, perhaps I'm getting overly emotional as I'm prone to do.

Probably the MOST appropriate analogy is what happened after President Franklin Roosevelt died in office of a massive stroke.

The story goes that Harry Truman comes up to Eleanor Roosevelt and says, "Is there anything we can do for you?" Eleanor Roosevelt says, "Is there anything we can do for YOU? YOU'RE the one in trouble NOW."

Yes ... is there anything we can do for you, President-elect Obama? You most certainly are the one in trouble now ...

President-Elect Barack Obama - November 4, 2008 - Chicago, Illinois

"Been A Long Way ... But We're Here"

Barack Hussein Obama II, 47-year-old African American, heading for the Oval Office ...

Yes we did.

Oh, yes we did ...

On that note:
The Blackest Man On The Planet & President of The United States - Denmark Vesey
Barack Obama elected 44th president - MSNBC
Obama Elected President as Racial Barrier Falls - The New York Times

Another Obama Birth Certificate Suit Thrown Out

An Ohio-based Obama birth certificate suit was thrown out on Friday.

Warren County magistrate Andrew Hasselbach ruled against David M. Neal saying in part that Neal relied too heavily on Internet rumor to bring forth his complaint.

In other words David M. Neal hasn't been able to produce any more reliable information that Obama was born anywhere other than Hawaii than anyone else has.

However, what is beginning to blow my mind is that the arguments in favor of the Hawaii hypothesis tend to be just as shallow.

I think the main one goes something like this: Obama is a natural born American citizen because Hillary Clinton would have exposed him if he wasn't.

Wrong, people.

As I've pointed out in this blog quite recently, the closest "every day" analogy to the Barack Obama birth certificate issue is starting a new job.

Under penalty of fines and various other nastiness, US employers are required to ask for and examine 1 - 2 documents to verify that an applicant is authorized to work in the United States.

The most common combination of documents is the state-issued driver's license, which establishes identity, and the Social Security card, which establishes US work eligibility.

The second most common document is the US Passport, which establishes both identity and US work authorization.

Now, according to the US Constitution, in order to be qualified to serve as President, an even higher standard is required - that the person be a natural born citizen of the United States.

What the Constitution is not very clear on is who's job it is to examine available evidence to prove that the person is actually a natural born citizen.

Until we figure that out, all this other chaos going on is completely irrelevant ...

Obama Campaign On The DHL Move And Economic Destruction Of Wilimgton, Ohio

For those of you from outside the area - about an hour northeast of Cincinnati is a town called Wilmington, Ohio facing the closing of a DHL facility and impending economic destruction.

It's so bad an out of state casino operator has taken advantage of the situation and has ads running with at least one DHL worker just saying flat out that the casino is her "only hope".

The whole situation is so sad I'm pretty much beyond words ...

But if I wasn't, those words wouldn't be very good I'll tell you that right now ...

Andy Martin vs. Barack Obama

It would appear there is ANOTHER gentleman filing various lawsuits to attempt to prove Barack Obama ineligible to serve as President due to no suitable birth certificate being available.

That gentleman is Andy Martin, and, amongst other things, he's claiming Barack Obama's biological father is someone named Frank Marshall Davis.

Nevermind the fact that there doesn't seem to be any conceivable motive that, even if it were true, that Barack Obama, Sr. would have agreed to taking "credit" for the indiscretion of Frank Marshall Davis.

Now, for a gratuitous application of Occam's razor, I suppose it is remotely possible that Ann Dunham could have been involved with both Barack Obama, Sr., and Frank Marshall Davis at the same time, but something of course POSSIBLE does not make a good conspiracy story.

Now of course what is interesting about ALL this action is that apparently there is no way to enforce Article II of the Constitution.

When you start a job in this country, under penalty of confiscatory fines and other nastiness, employers are beholden to request and authenticate passports, driver's licenses, social security cards, birth certificates, and other similar documents to verify your eligibility to legally work in the United States.

No matter what Obama's actual story turns out to be, what we're discovering quite rapidly here is that THERE IS NO I-9 FORM FOR RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT.

There apparently is no authority in charge of setting standards for verifying the Article II requirements for running for President.

Now THAT has me a little concerned ...

Philip J. Berg - Obama Birth Certificate Suit DISMISSED

Looks like word has just come down that U.S. District Judge R. Barclay Surrick on Friday night rejected the suit by attorney Philip J. Berg, who alleged that Obama was not a U.S. citizen and therefore ineligible for the presidency.

Surrick ruled that Berg lacked standing to bring the case, saying any harm from an allegedly ineligible candidate was "too vague and its effects too attenuated to confer standing on any and all voters."

Holy cow.

Judge Surrick may have just repealed the Constitution of the United States.

Who's responsibility IS it then to enforce the qualification clauses of Article II?

I'm presuming Philip J. Berg is going to appeal.

I'll let you know as soon as I find any chatter about the details on that ...

Related:
Berg lawsuit on Obama birth certificate reportedly dismissed - Free Republic
Judge rejects Montco lawyer's bid to have Obama removed from ballot - Philadelphia Daily News

Philip J. Berg Interview On Michael Savage (Obama Birth Certificate Controversy)

Philip J. Berg - Obama Birth Certificate Suit Makes Mainstream Media

The Toledo Fox affiliate is running a story about Philip J. Berg's lawsuit claiming Barack Obama is ineligible to serve as President due to not being a natural born United States citizen.

I still say we haven't seen any really solid information on this subject, although now Mr. Berg is at least claiming that Obama's step-grandmother in Kenya is claiming to have been present in the delivery room in Kenya when he was born.

Hardly admissible testimony I admit, but at least SOMEONE has produced some testimony that Obama was born in Kenya.

A more interesting point that he makes is that at one time Barack Obama was registered in school in Indonesia as "Barry Soetoro" and as an Indonesian citizen through his step-father.

Now, according to Philip Berg, Indonesia didn't recognize dual citizenship at that time, but of course the important question is whether not not THE UNITED STATES would recognize Barack Obama as having surrendered his US Citizenship by declaring Indonesian citizenship.

If Philip Berg's Indonesia citizenship theory holds up, however, Barack Obama would not only be ineligible to serve as President, but in fact would be an illegal alien.

Probably the biggest boatload of Bravo Sierra that anyone has come up with in a while, but interesting to contemplate ...

A Mother's Promise: The Biography of Barack Obama

There are pics of Barack's parents in this video I have never seen before ...

Endorsement From Barack's Sister

Let me tell you ... you gotta give him some kind of record for the most ethnicities represented by half-brothers and sisters in the history of Presidential politics ...

McCain Can't Send An Email

Of course, on the other hand some of the most successful business people I've ever heard of couldn't tell you the difference between a computer and a toaster ...

FactCheck.Org On The Obama Birth Certificate: It's Real

According to FactCheck.org they have actually handled the Obama birth certificate.

They have high resolution photos of the seal, the certification stamp, the certificate number, and just about everything else that would make it appear, in the absence of compelling evidence to the contrary, that Barack Obama is actually a citizen of the United States and eligible to be elected President.

Of course with all this document scrutiny y'all have ME questioning my U.S. Citizenship and, in fact, whether or not I actually EXIST ...

John Kerry DNC Speech - Including Obama's Uncle

Explanation Of The Fabricated Barack Obama Birth Certificate

This is a really great YouTube video explaining exactly why the Kos/Smears JPEG of the "Obama Birth Certification" is likely an absolute fabrication.

Obama Birth Notice From Honolulu Sunday Advertiser August 13, 1961

Although, again, this is by no means unimpeachable evidence as it IS on the Internet, after all, someone did post this birth notice that was in the Honolulu Sunday Advertiser on August 13, 1961.

Now, is there anyone in Honolulu (or making a trip to Honolulu sometime in the near future) who might have time to stop by the library to hit the microfilm to try to get a good image of the entire page this came from?

Oh, also ... does the Honolulu library have a good newspaper index? Are there any mentions of anything of IMPORT (or at least worthy of mention) that Obama's parents were doing around that time period?

Oh ... and ...

Can anyone make out that address?

Is the building that was at that address in 1961 still standing?