umm, "It reveals an America that keeps growing, keeps renewing itself, keeps getting better.", yeah, just read the article on mountaintop coal mining and how property owners are being undermined by a corrupt court (GOVERNMENT)that sides with the big money boys and say that..or not to mention the plethera of other things going on right now in this country. Sorry Jesse, but take a look around you. Things are not getting better, quite the contrary. And to lay all your faith on Obama is simply naive, or misleading, or both. Granted hes probably the best candidate at this point, but the game was rigged to begin with, only CORPO friendlies are invited to join...but please cling to your false hopes, it will make the pain easier to bear.

I think the improvement Jesse Jackson is referring to is meant specifically on the matter of race relations. I mean, his whole article is about that. It's hard to argue with. While I agree that we seem to be going down a cliff, especially on economic and environmental matters, improvement in race relations is a bright spot. We need to continue that improvement (racial disparities are stil painfully obvious) while reversing the deterioration in other areas.

If they took a poll, (seems to be the rage lately) I wonder
how many people would admit to being a racist? I know that
when somebody says "some of my best friend are negro," I know that I'm looking at a closet racist. I would much rather they said, "Hell yes, I'm a racist" That way I can know exactly where he or she stands. BTW: Some of my best friends are Caucasian. LOL

"Obama's impending victory reflects not simply the triumph of hope or the desire for change. It reveals an America that keeps growing, keeps renewing itself, keeps getting better."

Even though Obama's impending victory as a DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE may give some hope for the US racist society that has been ruled by one particular race for 200+ years in the name of "freedom" and "democracy" that has continued the status quo of powerlessness and subservience of the minority communities, the reality is Obama represents two-face Janus (the Roman god), that is, he is the embodiment of both races. If he belonged COMPLETELY to the MARGINALISED RACE, I do not think the result would have been the same. The reason for my pessimistic view is the condition of the African Americans in the US. Last week two incidents happened in CA. In one case a 19 year old African American boy was shot dead by the police on MISTAKEN SUSPICION when he was returning home after having a hot-dog in a nearby eat-out. He was not possessing any weapon. The police shot him from inside their vehicles. In the second incident another African American man was kicked, clubbed and then shot four times by a police officer. When he saw that the man was still alive, he again shot twice and killed him in broad day light on the road. when some of the observers took video with their cameras and cell-phones, the police arrested some of them when they refused to hand over their camaras and cell phones, while some were smashed and damaged, thus destroying the evidence. These two incidents highlight a common phenomenon in the US, police brutality against the African Americans (and other minorities). Police officers involved in such incidents have never been charged. This probably has emboldened them and multiplied police brutalities against the minorities.

On May 5, 2008 two National Reports detail racial disparity in arrests and imprisonment. Ostensibly color-blind, the US "war on drugs" disproportionately targets urban minority neighborhoods, Human Rights Watch and The Sentencing Project said in two reports released today. Although whites commit more drug offenses, African Americans are arrested and imprisoned on drug charges at much higher rates, the reports find.

In this year the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) based in Geneva, Switzerland, after considering the U.S. government's written and oral testimony, said it has found "stark racial disparities" in the U.S. institutions, and called for the George W. Bush administration to take effective actions to end racist practices against minorities in the areas of criminal justice, housing, healthcare and education.

- Race-based inequity is perhaps most apparent in the criminal justice system, where the color of the defendant's skin and the victim's skin play a significant role in determining who receives the death penalty in the U.S. According to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), people of color have accounted for a disproportionate 43 percent of all executions since 1976, and currently account for 55 percent of inmates currently awaiting execution. While European American victims account for approximately one-half of all murder victims, 80 percent of all death penalty cases involve European American victims. Furthermore, according to the ACLU, "as of October 2002, 12 people have been executed where the defendant was white and the murder victim black, compared with 178 black defendants executed for murders with white victims."

Unspoken, of course, is the assumption that jails are meant for poor, young people of color, particularly young African-American males. According to the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, one in seven African-American males are currently or permanently disqualified from voting because of criminal charges. One in three young black males between the ages of 18 and 39 will spend time in prison, on parole or probation.

Is that because African-American men are particularly violent and murderous? A 1997 study of death sentences in Pennsylvania from 1983 through 1993 showed that a black defendant was 38 percent more likely to receive a death sentence than a white defendant accused of a similar crime. According to another report an African American is ten times more likely to get life imprisonment than European American counterpart for a similar crime in the US.

How do minorities fare at traffic stops? African American, Hispanic and European American drivers are equally likely to be pulled over by police, but African Americans and Hispanics are much more likely to be searched and arrested, a federal study found. Police were much more likely to threaten or use force against African Americans and Hispanics than against European Americans in any encounter, whether at a traffic stop or elsewhere, according to the Justice Department.

Therefore, racism and racial prejudice is systemic or structural in the US. The prisons are disproportionately filled with African American men and women, schools serving predominately African American and other minority communities remain understaffed and underfunded, the minority communities receive inferior health care, employment opportunities and many are destined to live in poverty their entire lives.

This REALITY of the condition of the minority communities in the US does not support the statement of Rev. Jessie Jackson.

While no doubt having a strong black candidate appeals to black Americans, there's one issue here that is seldom discussed in the media — Obama is mixed race, half-black and half-white, as are a growing number of North Americans. Mr. Jackson's message shouldn't have been about racial equality, although that has been a just goal since the civil war, but about racial irrelevance. Obama had a white mother and a black father, and it doesn't matter at all to the majority of voters.

It's like calling Tiger Woods the first black golfer to win the Masters, when in fact he's really the first half-black, half Filipino golfer to win the Masters. That's not to deny Tiger his black heritage, but to identify him as a black golfer is a half-truth. It insinuates that we're comfortable with the primary colours, black, white, etc., but lack the sensitivity to comprehend people of mixed race. Why do we lump people into compartments when it's never that simple?

I don't think that the mixed race message would resonate as well as it should, given the history and the climate in the U.S. (hello West Virginia) but I think it's the message that's most inspiring because it defies racial divides. It doesn't hurt Obama to have the support of the black community, but why make race an issue at all? Isn't that what Obama asked of us in his landmark speech on race?

Instead of Obama's success reflecting America's growth, it seems more likely that it reflects partly America's growth and partly America's desperation. I'm not trying to say that voting for a black candidate is a last resort option, but maybe people are saying to themselves, "Look, the white dudes have been in charge since day one and look at the mess they've made of everything. Why don't we vote for the black guy this time, and see what he can do?"

Man, some of you guys are awfully hard to please.

As someone who lived in the South during segregation, and witnessed integration in my school, I have to say we have come a long way.

Are we there yet? No, there's more work to do, but Jesus guys, does this cynicism help anything? If Jackson thinks Obama's campaign means something, it probably does.

Look at the white votes Obama is pulling in. They're not all from poeple who visit sites like this. Can anyone imaginine this happening 20 years ago?

Yes, America is still suffering from racism, and not just Black vs White. But a friend of mine in the South married a Black woman 6 years ago (he's 56). He goes and stays with her family in Mississippi. He grew up using the word "nigger" as did everyone I knew.

I've been in a biracial marriage (Asian/White) for 32 years.

Things are changing. Too slowly it seems sometimes, but they are changing.

A wise man once sang:

And don't criticize what you can't understand
Your sons and your daughter are beyond your command
Your old role is rapidly aging
Please get out of the new one if you can't lend a hand
For the times they are a changing

I'd also like to add that Halle Berry, celebrated as the first black actor to win an academy award, was also half white. My point is that we continue to focus on race, when our racial designations are essentially meaningless in a modern world when so many people are of mixed race decent. However, if we absolutely must acknowledge race, then we should try to be accurate. We have a word for people that have two parents of different races, it's mulatto. Barack Obama, Tiger Woods, and Halle Berry are not black, they are mulatto and that makes them all the more unique. They transcend racial divides because their parents are more open minded than the average voter - not a bad place to start talking about race the next time it becomes an issue.

I think this is a great article. Rightfully so, it is said that the esteemed Mr. Obama stands on the shoulders of giants. We must also realize that we, as a whole, have grown.
At a rally for the Democratic party, I sat next to a young man of color (my sown skin is more of the pink variety) who was very politically engaged. Myself, I am not loyal to any one party (I think the Dems behaved shamelessly after the 2006 elections, and have no high esteem for them), but this young man, his mother, and I, we all agreed: it was a very exciting moment to be a part of: this historic election where the two leading candidates for the Democratic party are both of groups that not so very long ago ...couldn´t even VOTE!!!

Mr. Jackson, I wholeheartedly agree: we HAVE grown, and I am very happy to be alive to see this moment. And if the presidency goes to "the other candidate" (the R), we must still not forget: a strong statement has been made.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Check it out Hillary as Hitler -- "Hillary's Downfall" -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6Lstkiexhc

It's Hillaryous!

-- Get off the stage, Hillary.

-- You'll never do lunch in this town a-gain.

-- Here's the latest -- Nobody likes you, Hillary!

-- Hot off the wires -- you have cooties. (No, honest!)

-- There's a bus leaving in 10 minutes , Hillary -- be under it!

-- The Prom's tomorrow night and you get to stay home with "Carrie."

-- Win or lose -- YOU LOST!

-- Hillary, we hardly knew ye.

-- Time to kiss your ass goodbye, bubula.

-- The party's over, loser.

-- Congratulations, you snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.

-- Vox populi, vox screw ya.

-- DOWN the stretch they don't come!!!

-- Don't despair, Hillary, there's always ... Bill ... to console you.

-- Hillary Rodham Clinton. William Jefferson Clinton. Mister & Missus Sammy Glick ... It has a certain ring to it, doesn't it?

-- Hey, and what about that husband of yours! What a campaigner!

-- Know what? They just don't like New Yorkers. Yeah, that must be it.

-- Oh, and by the way, what was that about *Ralph Nader* spoiling the chances of the Democratic Party? Eh?

encouraging endorsement from the crow nation…..

http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,23728392-5001028,00.html

{Obama becomes 'Barack Black Eagle'
By Jeff Mason in Montana

May 20, 2008 11:00am

US Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama became an honorary member of a native American tribe today and promised policies to help tribal people if he wins the White House in November.

The Illinois senator who is leading rival Hillary Clinton in their race for the party's presidential nomination, joined the Crow Nation, a tribe of some 12,100 members in Montana, taking on a native name and honorary parents in a traditional ceremony.

Obama, who would be the first black US president, was "adopted" by Hartford and Mary Black Eagle and given a name which means "one who helps all people of this land".

"I was just adopted into the tribe, so I'm still working on my pronunciation," Senator Obama told a crowd after stumbling over some of the native names.

"I like my new name, Barack Black Eagle," he said. "That is a good name."}

go obama black eagle '08

…peace…

"We squander our wealth in misbegotten wars and misplaced priorities."

Yes, Mr. Jackson, and how is Sen. Obama going to right that wrong? By shifting troops from Iraq to Afghanistan? By increasing the military by 100,000 troops? By increasing the military budget? Perhaps by keeping many tens of thousands of troops in Iraq fighting and dying, defending our "interests" read: profits of Big Oil, Haliburton, Blackwater and KBR? By assisting in the plunder of a different group of colored people? Maybe by ordering "targeted" strikes on al qaida as he promises to do on his website? Strikes that invariably ends up killing some kid looking out the window?

Who gives a crap if Sen. Obama has one black parent? I want peace! I want an end to the killing. In what way is Obama's skin color supposed to represent progress when inside he is just as conventional and beholden to the military industrial complex as John McCain. Obama has not committed to ending the war and bringing all the troops home. He will not even promise to end it within his first term if elected (2013). He represents what the establishment needs: A kinder, gentler, darker-skinned murderer in chief.

Look, I really don't give a crap what color or gender the president is, if he/she hasn't the principles and moral courage to end this immoral and illegal war immediately, he/she has lost my vote.

MLK wouldn't pretend to be against the war while continuing it. At least, Mr. Jackson, you didn't compare Obama to MLK. Thank you for that.

Deepa.

As the story plays itself out, I think we'll find that Obama's nomination (and the race itself with Clinton) will only shine a spotlight on the well documented race, gender and class disparities and inequalities - what I call *democracy divides* - that exist, and force folks to really have a debate about solutions.

If you take Jesse's generalization and, yes maybe overly simplistic, narrative to it's end, the solutions are still the same. Bridging the democracy divides of race, class, region, religion, gender, access to public space, institutions and airwaves, etc. is about correcting the disparities and (this is a little yucky, cause I know it ain't true) continuing the arc of justice that is (yes, it's been an ebb and flow of setbacks and victories and it's more f-ed up than ever right now, but...) perfecting the union.

The point is racial, gender and economic justice solutions have been the driving force behind "...an America that keeps growing, keeps renewing itself, keeps getting better.""

That's the framing that needs to happen. Well, that and who's responsible and what role civil society and government have to play in those solutions.

-- Mama Clinton to Hillary: "For the last time, Hillary, no you CAN'T be president! Now go to your quarters."

-- Bill Murray to Hillary: "You're a nut. Now get outta here. And I mean that."

-- Monica Lewinski to Hillary Rodham: "I feel your pain, sister."

-- Bill Clinton to Hillary: "How'd I do?"

-- Chelsea Clinton to Hillary: "News flash! Maybe if you had some pride as a wife and a mother. Think so?"

-- Jackie Chan to Hillary: "Ah, so, you f*** yourself up good now."

Hillary Clinton to Chelsea: "Listen, you can marry him; just don't vote for him, k?"

Hillary Clinton's campaign manager to Hillary: "How does this one sound? ... 'WANTED: Kamikaze pilot. Must have thorough knowledge of unremitting hopelessness. Experience preferred.'"

Barack Obama to Bill Clinton: "Do the name Ruby Begonia strike a familiar note???"

It makes me want to puke when Obama is compared to MLK or Rosa Parks or any other amazing gutsy world-changing black person. HE IS NOT LIKE THEM. Obama grew up in a privileged prosperous family (his father was NOT a "goatherder"). Obama never lived the kinds of insults and hardships the others were forced to live.

I'm sick of Obama being sainted just because of the color of his skin and the fact he can speak well, like this is something to be celebrated ! The people who revere him must have some damned low expectations of (half) blacks.

Mr. Jackson a champion of military limits who thinks America has grown, is true but not grown enough. Sanders, in congress one of the so-called reformers, about US military strength, one thing is abundantly clear and for Obama as well, the American military adventure in the world must come to an end. The money that has been spent on this war alone, never mind the defense budget that drains millions for military supremacy an idea unbridled in this congress, must give way to environmental responsibility and spending in this direction. The USA and its militaristic stance is the reason for any arms race on this globe is the reason that nations resort to self-protection from the USA preemptive war strategy.

Many people here in the USA think to give their vote in the upcoming election to someone who they think represents the absolute truth, maybe Nader? To do that would at the same time elect by default the very same regime that has brought America to this present. After all and under scrutiny this is not a democracy, and the "truth" as presented has more than a few deficiencies.

I have followed patiently the dreamers, the pseudo intellectuals, and the great scholars, on the pages of many blogs, periodicals, and media who think they have the sort of thinking able to help bring the USA back from the horrid mess it has become. There are those, like so many who write, who like me have seen through the sham and the shame of the present global dilemma. Many in these tomes offer their great thinking to help us to see more clearly, good Liberal egalitarian ideas, that might help our situation if adopted and I hope seen by others.

Few here have touched the central issues, this countries greed, the economy and your 401ks. You have been sold this scheme so you could be good Americans and invest in the scam of Wall Street. By so doing you all have become part of this bogus system of economics that continues a way of life that will undo the world civilization, built on the layers of blood of countless generations. This form of economics- which panders to the worst human values- It is equal to one investing in a gambling house, but you have been led to believe it is your way to survival rather than the world's doom. Greed is a very difficult motivation personified by the "killer capitalism" of the USA and fans the seeds of greed, an acquisitive human characteristic that holds nothing or no one sacred, as of course some of you know.

The essence of the fight for human retrieval of hope and security, and the reestablishment of ethics, morals and purpose - so many write about - and who are disgusted with the American system fast becoming the global system - who would like to see change regardless of how questionable or what the downside might be. It is the reason people spend their time on blogs reading petty responses to the huge problems we face. Responses grounded in the rubbish the leaders of this sorry mess of an empire have indoctrinated their people to believe. This empire fueled by an auto-centered culture supported by the advertising indoctrination machine that supports the bogus media.

Those who respond to the articles on blogs, written by people who are surely less than the quality of the true thinkers like, Nietzsche, Camus, Dostoevsky and so many others who have written about human fallibility, the human condition and the abuse of power in America and the West. One of the best amongst them in the modern era is Noam Chomsky, a great American scholar and a champion of truth, who articulated the USA and its power lust for empire in his book "Hegemony or Survival.

Those who write, are people generally frustrated, those who feel helpless in terms of where we see this entire human global adventure going and see clearly that the present American election possibly holds the seeds to genuine change in the USA if not the world should it really should occur? In view of rapid change and absolute necessity in the USA for global survival we have to look at the so-called democratic process. The comparison between the facile political landscape as presented in media and look at this abomination called reality. Power is a strange issue, it can be best represented by its two possibilities, Power to and power "over" as represented by the present US administration. The power to "create" as represented by Obama's rhetoric is the hope of half of the USA. Yes, there are many political power brokers that hold the keys to Obama's success and we must accept the compromise of the imperfect but it is the best there is at this critical time. At the very least he has invigorated Democracy and interest in this failed Democratic, extreme capitalist experiment.

However, many are not fooled by the array of candidates and their claims to complete truth and fairness, this is, as it should be. A healthy pessimism is necessary so long as it is not cynicism. Some of us understand that survival is surely not based in the petty politics practiced on the media, or on-line which is a mirror of the American people and clone of the US Congress. However, many truly care and see clearly why the USA has morphed into a right wing crazed oligarchy. Many people writing her genuinely care about this superpower gone amuck, called the USA. Most of the world's people polled think the USA should be feared as a rogue state. Moreover, there are people in government who are genuinely worried about the extreme of American plutocracy on the world stage.

Sadly, many of us know the slate of candidates running leaves a great deal to be desired. Yes, they have all dissembled, as politicians are wont to do, in the endless necessity for compromise, even to achieve small things for the people. One cannot come from the masses in the USA, be a politician who aspires to become president of this woebegone culture and not have to assume the sickening compromises that would attract support to continue on the quest to accomplish change. It is impossible to be pure but it is possible to hold new truths close to ones fundamental belief system until possible to employ those ideas and idealistic visions of a better world. When people rally behind the leader who becomes transparent in office it is possible for the people begin to believe the leadership of a visionary. America believed in the JFK speech that accomplished the moon landing!

I believe Obama's hope and vision is to restore the USA to its former respected place in the world in a new way. One can see how it is veiled in his rhetoric but it is there. We can only hope that he is not murdered using some obscure assassin. When I think of the charge against Obama that he supported that toad, Joe Lieberman or the many obfuscations, of Clinton and McCain to paint him "black" I have to laugh at the simplistic charges and the lack of understanding of what is necessary to be a politician in the USA.

But there are some who hold out the small hope that if Obama, the least of all the evils presented to the electorate, somehow becomes president he may become another great man in the office and in effect serve the people, the country and the globe. He is the only one, in my view, who holds that possibility, without question, if we join and accept some of the thinking written on the pages of common dreams and other liberal blogs, many agree with this idea. It is so because of his background, his actions in Chicago, despite his missteps, and the fact that this is the final chance at survival for the human family!

We must take this chance and hope that the creeping filth of corporate power in collusion with government and media that has brought humanity to this pass will not assassinate him; if he truly tries to affect the changes that must take place in America and the world, for make no mistake about it: survival is at stake.

Yes, many nations look to different nations and models other than the USA in this for leadership and assistance turning their back on the US and the rejection of the Bush regime. The USA can take on a new challenge, with a new leader, a new vision with a country and a congress that supports him! I believe Obama can assume a place in the world as one of the leaders of the world- rather than, the lone, dogmatic, power driven capitalistic - globalized monster eating everything in its path for it own advantage. I believe that Obama, in recognizing the state of this world, seen with the idealistic vision he espouses, is able to help the USA join with other nations in the world, not as the sole leaders but one as one of its important contributors. The USA is a technological giant it is time to use its strength to assist the world, as it once did, not only for its GDP but also the truth of its responsibility and concern for the problems humanity confronts.

Now, as never before, to the present degree, a great leader and vision is required to help draw the world back from the nightmare now taking place. The climate, energy, food, water, the oceans, forests, human health, world poverty and so many other issues will require a man that has the youth and the guts to try to bring about the change in the USA needed for the future generations who see his vision. Change is fundamental to his campaign alone, since he has captured the belief of so many whom once believed it to be impossible. However, in the end it all may be too late!

"Change is fundamental to his campaign alone, since he has captured the belief of so many whom once believed it to be impossible."

He's captured the belief of people who are apparently satisfied with the mere mention of change instead of demanding evidence of it. What has Obama actually done ?

Btw, Clinton did not "paint him black". He painted himself black many times throughout his life ... when he chose to align himself with blacks instead of whites (he could have gone either way) ... when he joined a nearly all black church ... when he took on a black pastor as his "spiritual advisor" ... when he likened himself to MLK ... when he admitted to the Chicago Tribune that he has had success BECAUSE OF HIS COLOR:

http://obama.senate.gov/news/050626-when_it_comes_to_race_obama_ma/

"Obama acknowledges, with no small irony, that he benefits from his race. If he were white, he once bluntly noted, he would simply be one of nine freshmen senators, almost certainly without a multimillion-dollar book deal and a shred of celebrity. Or would he have been elected at all?"