Comments on: The Great Black Hajj of 2009 http://dissidentvoice.org/2009/01/the-great-black-hajj-of-2009/ a radical newsletter in the struggle for peace and social justice Thu, 08 Dec 2011 15:07:30 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Magarulian http://dissidentvoice.org/2009/01/the-great-black-hajj-of-2009/#comment-37434 Magarulian Thu, 29 Jan 2009 07:24:29 +0000 http://www.dissidentvoice.org/?p=6460#comment-37434 Yes, Michael Kenny, it's all about what we want our singular presidents to be. Camelot. Our perceptions of JFK's charm and practiced grace is what counted. What he appeared to do - both here and abroad - was controlled by TV and newspapers. He became a martyr. He didn't even finish his first term in office. This is why people remember JFK today. Now, in this era, people don't care about his particular Christian religion. His time was also before our major involvement in Vietnam. We had relative peace, except for those pesky Russians and Cubans. Now, we have the Internet. Obama will not get away with much. 5o years from now, you honestly must question whether or not this country will still exist. It certainly won't continue to exist as the American Empire. Obama has huge foreign entanglements to deal with, along with massive economic problems here at home. Obama has already proven that he represents the white, corporate elite - by his actions, not his words (although he is very clever). Black people 50 years from now (a lot sooner in my thinking) will not even remember that he was black. His goal is to preserve the American Empire and all that it represents. He will fail miserably, unless he either wakes up or goes out like JFK. Yes, Michael Kenny, it’s all about what we want our singular presidents to be.

Camelot. Our perceptions of JFK’s charm and practiced grace is what counted. What he appeared to do – both here and abroad – was controlled by TV and newspapers.
He became a martyr. He didn’t even finish his first term in office. This is why people remember JFK today. Now, in this era, people don’t care about his particular Christian religion. His time was also before our major involvement in Vietnam. We had relative peace, except for those pesky Russians and Cubans.

Now, we have the Internet. Obama will not get away with much. 5o years from now, you honestly must question whether or not this country will still exist. It certainly won’t continue to exist as the American Empire. Obama has huge foreign entanglements to deal with, along with massive economic problems here at home.

Obama has already proven that he represents the white, corporate elite – by his actions, not his words (although he is very clever). Black people 50 years from now (a lot sooner in my thinking) will not even remember that he was black.

His goal is to preserve the American Empire and all that it represents. He will fail miserably, unless he either wakes up or goes out like JFK.

]]> By: Michael Kenny http://dissidentvoice.org/2009/01/the-great-black-hajj-of-2009/#comment-37415 Michael Kenny Wed, 28 Jan 2009 21:29:32 +0000 http://www.dissidentvoice.org/?p=6460#comment-37415 Don't be too hard on the blacks! I'm old enough to remember JFK and the effect he had on American Catholics in general and Irish-Americans in particular (to say nothing of the Irish!) (And the Catholic Church, for that matter!). 50 years from now, black men and women, and not just in the US, inspired, not by what Obama may say or do but by the mere fact of his being there, will have done all kinds of things, some good, some bad, that they would never have got a chance to do otherwise. In 1960, America's Catholics were predominantly poorly-educated, working class people. There was a very limited presence in academia, often, indeed, priests, and practically none in journalism or the higher ranks of the military. Catholic politicians were almost always big city, machine politicians. And Democrats! And of course, there was the Mafia, with their elaborate church funerals. Kennedy swept all that away, not by what he was but by what people wanted him to be. Now the turn of the blacks has come. Let them take advantage of it. More than a few will make thorough fools of themselves, but so what? We only learn from our own mistakes. Don’t be too hard on the blacks! I’m old enough to remember JFK and the effect he had on American Catholics in general and Irish-Americans in particular (to say nothing of the Irish!) (And the Catholic Church, for that matter!). 50 years from now, black men and women, and not just in the US, inspired, not by what Obama may say or do but by the mere fact of his being there, will have done all kinds of things, some good, some bad, that they would never have got a chance to do otherwise.

In 1960, America’s Catholics were predominantly poorly-educated, working class people. There was a very limited presence in academia, often, indeed, priests, and practically none in journalism or the higher ranks of the military. Catholic politicians were almost always big city, machine politicians. And Democrats! And of course, there was the Mafia, with their elaborate church funerals.

Kennedy swept all that away, not by what he was but by what people wanted him to be. Now the turn of the blacks has come. Let them take advantage of it. More than a few will make thorough fools of themselves, but so what? We only learn from our own mistakes.

]]> By: bozh http://dissidentvoice.org/2009/01/the-great-black-hajj-of-2009/#comment-37394 bozh Wed, 28 Jan 2009 16:57:20 +0000 http://www.dissidentvoice.org/?p=6460#comment-37394 bears repeating: meanings are in people; not in their words. and since obama had been (s)elected for prez it cld have been concluded that his meanings (wishes, intent, plans,etc.) are identical with the meanings of the ruling class. yes, america is ruled; so is every other empire/land. question is, who are these rulers? and if one can't find who they are and how many there is, aren't that a tragedy in itself? and who is standing in the way of an inquiry? but of course, the same unknowns! bears repeating: meanings are in people; not in their words. and since obama had been (s)elected for prez it cld have been concluded that his meanings (wishes, intent, plans,etc.) are identical with the meanings of the ruling class.

yes, america is ruled; so is every other empire/land. question is, who are these rulers? and if one can’t find who they are and how many there is, aren’t that a tragedy in itself?
and who is standing in the way of an inquiry? but of course, the same unknowns!

]]>