The Respectfully Republican Conversation

LuAnn - that is the really sad part - most of these kids come from two parent working families. Many do not speak English and are working at low paying jobs but they care about their children. They came to parent orientation and were so happy that my dd was their children's teacher. She has very high expectations - guess that is something new for them - and they were so happy.

07rescue, this is going to sound racist to some.  I was watching on election day and I can't remember if this happened in Ohio or where.  Anyway, there were Black Panthers standing at the door as you enter.  I think they were called the New Black Panthers..something like that.  One had some kind of stick in his hand..the police were called...and they told him to leave.  The other one could stay.  I don't know why he was there.  I think it was in an African American community.  But he had the right to stand there all intimidating.  I thought to myself..what if a KKK member dressed in white with a hood..maybe he'd have to take the hood off...was standing at the door.  Would he be allowed to stay?  I hope not!

Shirley

Hi Blaest, 

 I specifically told people not to take my word for it, but to go get involved in politics and see for themselves. I don't believe what people say, I go see for myself. What I have personally witnessed has horrified me. I report it truthfully, as have others, and invite others to do as I have done and go check things out for yourselves.

Most people will not have the interest, time or energy to go devote so much of themselves to getting involved with politics as to be privy to the inner workings of campaigns, unfortunately. It's not everyone's cup of tea, either. Many people are turned off to it all, for good reason. Because I know most people will not have the opportunity to see for themselves, I take it as my responsibility to report my experience faithfully, for whatever value it holds for them. For you, with your predisposition to like Barack Obama that may be of no value whatsoever. But for every person like your self who sees only good in Barack Obama's presentation, there are others who do not trust him, and do not agree with him or his tactics. Your insistence on his supposed qualities is belied by my direct experience, so you won't convince me he is benign. He has harmed too many people I know to ever have my support. It's wrong, how he has behaved, and actions speak much, much louder than words. 

Sure thing 07.  I believe every word you say and believe you know things that were never picked up by the Press.  So how many peopld did Obama have killed?  thirty, forty, more than 100?  We all want to know :-)

I hate the term "african-american".  My ancestors are Irish but I dont go around claiming to be "irish-american".  what ever happened to black, white, hispanic, and asian?

black people i know here in the south get mad if you call them african-american.

Sherri...I read an article about why he identifies himself as being black. I will find it if I can but essentially he supposedly said he identifies himself as being black because that is how people see him. The article went on to say...shame on him for identifying himself based on what others saw. An analogy would be a healthy person identifying herself as being fat because other people said this to her when in reality she isn't fat but she isn't bone thin either.

I don't know why we have to identify ourselves as anything...the census, government reporting/state reporting, and schools ask for this information on forms and applications. I even hate it when some forms have white instead of caucasian, I am not really white, I am a light tan color. A few years back I just started checking "other" whenever anything asked about my race.

moody, I know many bi racial people and they tend to refer to themselves as black or african american because that obviously is a dominant trait in their skin.  He made a reference today about his being bi racial.  I thought it was his grandmother that was white, maybe I am wrong, didn't really dig into his history to know where he had a white parent or grandparent. 

I guess the race part is not really an issue to me, personally I am glad to see that barrior is not broken that a african american made it to the highest office in the land which shows young kids that say "it don't matter, I ain't gonnin anywhere cause I'm black" (trust me I've heard these words) it breaks that stigma and you can try to help make some kids understand they can go anywhere they want no matter who they are or what their skin color.

I orginally came in to ask a different question.  What do you think would have been the outcome if Hillary had gotten the dem nomination?  Who would be pres elect right now?

Hi, sorry to intrude, but did you hear the press conference this afternoon when Barack Obama referred to himself as a "mutt?"  He was talking about the kind of dog they might get, and he said they'd like to get a shelter dog, but Malia is allergic, and most shelter dogs are "mutts like me." 

Rescue,

I have no doubt that if what you are saying is true, it will rear its ugly head.  We will first get small clues, then larger ones.  We won't even have to be reading between the lines, it will show.  Obama choosing Emmanuel as his Chief of Staff may be very telling.  

Obama has a way of throwing people away.  Used and gone.  Hopefully, his tactics from the past will also be gone and we can get things accomplished.  We'll be watching.

Paulette wrote:  Obama is not only my president but also Your president...so then I guess Bush is not only my president but also Your president. And why shouldn't we have come together when you were constantly dissing and name calling President Bush? Or do we only come together under a Dem regime? Strange the way that works.

THANK YOU!!!   I just don't get it how they BLASTED Bush and now it's not ok for others to blast Obama if desired!

I just wanted to restate what someone else posted:  AMY CARTER went to a public school when she was residing in the White House.  But Obama's children have been attending private school already, the reports say they will probably attend private school again.  

It also frosts me that he hardly acknowledges his white history.  I think he could gain a lot of ground about coming together if he made more claim to the fact that he is a blend of BOTH. He has an amazing backround that he seems proud of and is one to be admired:  he was drug around the world and then his mom chose her work over him and gave him to his grandparents to be raised...his dad abandoned them.  And yet here he is ... despite the curves life threw his way. 

rocktobermom --- Irish/Scottish-American

I guess we can call BO a chameleon, because he changes his skin color (and political positions/views) to adapt. He's black, white, both, Christian, Muslim, both, pro-this, pro-that, then against this and that  ---- I can't figure him out!

Thank God for men like Bill Cosby.  He tries to teach reach African Americans, but many of them were angry at what he had to say.  This not only applies to African Americans, but to whites, Latinos...anyone.  It's much easier to sit back and let your child do anything he/she wants.  It's much harder to read to them, teach them colors and numbers...just spend time with them.  It can be tiring and trying to be a GOOD parent.  And, I realize that even good parents have children wander away from what they are taught.  I believe ALL parents can learn from what Bill Cosby has to say.

An excerpt:

http://www.city-journal.org/2008/18_3_african_american_awakening.html   Myron Magnet The

Great African-American Awakening Some brave voices are shifting the conversation from victimhood to responsibility.

We are celebrating a great civil rights victory, Cosby told the NAACP. People

actually present in the audience "marched and were hit in the face with rocks" so that

black kids could get a decent education. But now? "What the hell good is Brown v.

Board of Education if nobody wants it?" What did those brave marchers achieve if,

50 years later, half of African-American kids drop out of high school and can't speak

standard English-especially since all it takes to get started in today's more open

America is a high school diploma and the ability to impress potential bosses as

articulate, polite, and dependable?

This failure, too, is largely a failure of parenting. Yes, ghetto schools are bad, Cosby

and Poussaint acknowledge, and parents can't fix them. "But you can make the best use

of what you have to get the best you can for your child," they advise. You can make

sure he does his homework and pays attention in class. And much of what a kid learns

he learns at home, after all-especially in his crucial first five years. "Talking and

reading to infants and children help lay down the physical structures in the brain to

develop skills in language," the authors point out.

But many ghetto moms aren't imparting the language and cognitive skills without which

children can't succeed once they get to school. "Teachers report that in poor

neighborhoods children often begin school not knowing their colors or the letters of

the alphabet," Cosby and Poussaint write. "Some have limited vocabularies and little

knowledge of numbers. Some don't even know that sheep go ‘Baaa.' " These deficits are

hard to correct later on. Indeed, "sharp-eyed teachers can identify the children who

will become high school dropouts the day they walk in the kindergarten door." The

damage is already done.

RoctoberMom,

I agree with you, it makes me angry that BO won't admit to his WHITE heritage!  I think IF he would make a statement about how he is bi-racial, being BOTH black AND white, it would unite this country.  Who knows?  Maybe he doesn't want that.  hmmm...

Rescue and Sherri,

What you say about BO is truly scary, and I believe you.  Even before any information came out about his association with shady characters, there was just something not quite right about this relatively unknown man being thrust forward onto the scene, and promoted as presidential candidate, after a short time as Senator, with almost nothing to show in the way of accomplishments.  Oh, and voting 'present' is a cop-out, in my opinion. 

Ok.  I'll shut up now.