Obama is black, American, Christian, and a politician. Why that bothers so many in our country is beyond me. How can we shift our thinking so that the new millennium is populated with voters who demand living heroes who model accountability for national leadership?
Obama is no more Muslim then my son the US Naval Aviator. My son also attended a Muslim pre-school and had a parent and grandparents who are Muslim and Palestinian. He too was raised by his white mother who at times is at best agnostic and perhaps Anti-Patriotic. He attended Catholic Schools that teach among other things, how to pray to various saints for intercession with God (which most mainstream American Protestants don't get either). I can think of no greater insult to my own son than to circulate hurtful anti-Muslim racially divisive material.
My son is a direct descendant of Omar the Great, Mohammed the Prophet's greatest general and son-in-law. Does that make him a radical Muslim fighter who wants to destroy all that is not Muslim in our country? No, it makes him the descendant of a great leader and military visionary. My son is also the descendant of men and women who fought to break up the Union. His southern ancestors fought to continue the status quo that included States Rights over the good of the union and the continued enslavement of blacks. Does that make my son a racist? No, it makes him a son of the South who learned at the knee of his grandfather how to respect all people regardless of race, gender or national origin.
While I do not agree with and despise radical elements that cloak themselves under the auspices of their belief system, the majority of Muslims are peaceful law abiding citizens who work hard to make a living. Then too, I was never fond of the KKK who hide behind the cross and their brand of twisted Christian-based bigotry to further their cause as well. I also am not fond of radical Zionist Jews who want to wipe out Christians and Muslims who live in the area that they desire to call 'home' through historical claims based on the Torah (which is essentially the Old Testament in the Christian Bible and about a quarter of the Koran). Those who continue to spread hate, bigotry and misrepresented information become part of the problem and are more dangerous to the American people then the most zealous of Muslim fanatic. What would happen instead if we met together as brothers descended from the same Father Abraham? If we acted like loving relatives and ceased to act like kids squabbling at a family reunion over who is the favored son perhaps we could move to a collective experience where we could coexist in peace and understanding. If we embrace our similarities we can begin to build lasting détente.
How did we become so steeped in this new brand of isolationist bigotry? Islam, Muslim, Jihad. These once unfamiliar words now strike fear into the hearts of many in our country. FBI, CIA, Homeland Security, Patriot Act. These are the words that should strike fear in our hearts. Acting scared and spying on my neighbors doesn't seem to be a productive way to live one's life. This is an inside-out look at the world. What if we created a dialogue between groups and created a universal community where each group is aware of the concerns and beliefs of the other? How great would that be?
My son is in service to his country and has never held a career track position that the government did not pay for, etc. In fact, every meal that child's had since he was 3 was funded by the US government (his adopted father's AF salary). There are some who would argue that my son has never held a real job. Many find skiing and flying jets too much "fun" for a real job. Is he the most qualified to carry nuclear weapons in multi-million dollar aircraft? Only his instructors and evaluators know for sure.
No one seems to have a problem with my half Arab son flying multi-million dollar airplanes in defense of this country...frankly I am skeptical of his qualifications! I KNOW the education he got and I KNOW he leaves wet towels on the bathroom floor and I KNOW that he, too, often does not put his hand over his heart during the Pledge of Allegiance and the National Anthem (and that is fine too as long as he is respectful)...however; he is ready to serve his country and die in the name of his God. My son may not be black but he is cut from the same Muslim/American parental cloth as Obama. If Obama is Jewish, Christian, or Muslim he too prays to that same Yahweh, God, or Allah. It's the same Big Guy in the sky...just a spelling variation. I see no difference between the sacrifices my son makes for his country than what Obama is committed to as well.
If you want to concentrate on the fact that Obama is perhaps not qualified for the job that is ok. He has only served one term as a senator and has previously only held positions with faith-based institutes. I grant you that he may not meet the experience standards of previous administrations; however, there are others who believe his lack of political experience is what the country needs.
Stick to the facts that matter. Spreading FUDD - Fear Uncertainty Doubt and Disinformation does nothing but make the average American appear uninformed and ignorant. Look to the future and see how you want that future to appear. Are our heroes to be all white, male, and protestant? Then you must leave out Kennedy, Kissinger, and King. Catholic, Jewish, and Black...perhaps they were the beginning of the shift in hero stories for the next millennium of children. Kennedy created the Peace Corp, Kissinger pioneered the policy of detente, and King raised our social consciousness to new heights where all people were created equal. The son of a Catholic bootlegger, a Jewish immigrant, and an African American minister might just become the pivot point for our shift in thinking or perhaps we will only be able to point back and think, "what might have been..."
Vote for who you think is the better candidate. Just make sure you base your decision on sound, logical and PROVABLE standards that can be measured. Fear is not measurable. Qualifications and experience are measurable. That is the measure thinking Americans can use to promote the best person for the job. When you feed into the fear you perpetuate the myths. Consider the possibilities of authoring new stories and generating new dialogues that deal with the truth and all the opportunities that has to offer. If we stop feeding the emotions around fear and look for the inherent truths that are provable and observable without distortion and manipulation, a shift in our collective political thinking will occur. We will rise to a new level of consciousness that rises above the disinformation and fear. We will begin to develop into a country that can once again produce real heroes and dynamic change. Perhaps then my son won't need to learn how to drop bombs from his American made plane on his Arab cousins.
Shannon Evans is recognized in the Puget Sound as an expert in how to make your business have a web presence rather than just a web page. Her conversational marketing techniques and practices outlined by Practical Local Search, LLC you will see your small business presence on the web increase: http://www.practicallocalsearch.com/ She is a consultant for social marketing campaigns that allow you to organize your marketing and sales efforts in an inexpensive delivery platform that is easy to set up and manage. The ability to send, deliver, and track any installed resource gives you the power to create a marketing program quickly and easily in a scalable format that can grow with your business.
Shannon is also a co-author of Get Found Now! Local Search Secrets Exposed: Learn How to Achieve High Rankings in Google, Yahoo and Bing and multiple business ebooks. Her books teach entrepreneurs how to leverage the internet to attract new clients.
Shannon has a wide and varied background in both the practical and the pragmatic aspects of the business world. Shannon loves nothing better than teaching local businesses how to think globally and to be searched locally.