“I don’t like Obama because he doesn’t hold to the conservative values that I believe in”. That was the beginning of the end of the fantastic day that I had been having. Understand that since POTUS had become the Democratic front-runner, I had been fielding all sorts of asinine questions, statements, outright lies and mis-truths about our now president. It appeared that the more popular he became, the more ridiculous the charges, allegations towards him and his family became. I had over time learned to turn a deaf ear to the majority. There were a few that would raise the hair on the back of my neck, but for the most part, I thought — well I had hoped– that the majority of Americans were able to see past the subterfuge, the diversionary tactics to the real issues and debate those with gusto and genius.

So now that President Obama is in office and is clearly in charge and trying to make sense of 8 years of havoc and hell, he’s now being called to task on “conservative values”. So I asked point blank for specifics and was given this list. (I’ve abbreviated it because it was rather redundant)/
1. He’s not pro-life
2.He’s closing Gitmo
3.He’s withdrawing troops from abroad
4. He’s allowing stemcell research
5. He and his wife show too much PDA
6. He’s too liberal in his views
And it was for these reasons that she would not support “Obama” (refusing to use his official title in any way) and she feared for her safety and the safety of her daughter because the country could only get worse under his regime.

By now you get the point. Hard as it was to maintain calm (woo-saaah), I tried explaining the things that she and I had in common. We both believed in the Constitution as the ultimate law of the land. In that glorious document there was this fantastic clause that stated separation of church and state. She wanted to debate that this was a Christian nation. I and , for the sake of argument, but knowing better, decided not to argue with her merely stated that it didn’t matter because the nation had no national religion. There was indeed separation of separation of church and state. And just as she would be offended if I made overtures to impose my Islamic beliefs on her and her family, I felt similarly offended when laws were passed legislating morality that had nothing to do with legal matters, but religious ones. I had prayed for a president who could tell the difference between his personal belief structure and the Constitution. I believe we have one.

Then there was the pro-life thing. How do you explain to an idiot that you can be pro-life and pro-choice at the same time? And that this too is a personal, moral decision that has nothing to do with me. If you are against abortion, then don’t have one. Be like the Duggars in Arkansas and have 137 babies. Or better yet, apply to be foster parents. Adopt some children. All kinds of children need good loving homes. Why are you worried about the ones that aren’t here when there are so many that are alive, and breathing and going to bed abused, hungry, being sold to dope dealers? I would much rather a young woman make a choice not to bring a child into this world, than to be forced to have one only to have it end up like little Caylee or Precious Doe or all the other abused, murdered, molested, hungry, neglected children that are already here that need us. Let’s get our priorities straight.

Gitmo shouldn’t be closed. Why not? There are those of us that believe those men should never have been put there to begin with. They have been there for 7 years,without being charged, without trials, without true legal counsel. Laws -if you can call them that– were created on the fly. They have been tortured. Many have committed suicide rather than continue under such horrid conditions. Those men were defending their country in their country. We would be expected to do no less here. And add to that there has never been any link to them and Osama bin Laden. Oh yeah, where is he by the way? I thought he was the one we were looking for? How did that turn into an excuse to invade Iraq and kill the man that we (America) put into power in the first place? Sorry, off topic. It happens sometimes when you’ve been stifled for 8 years.

Stemcell research is a good thing. It’s a scientific effort. Can you imagine the number of people who could have been saved if there had been research done? If your child has Parkinson’s or MS or some other illness that might be assisted by stem cells research, feel free to turn it down for your own, but you have no right to make that decision for my family. Stay out of my family’s decision making process because honestly if I were allowed into your family’s personal affairs, I would have your children removed as being medically neglected. But that’s just me.

I saw POTUS kiss Mrs POTUS on the lips and then gaze at her that made me want to smack my husband. I wasn’t alone. There is love there. It’s so obvious. It’s so apparent. Love and respect. And the joy of being in each others company. Perhaps after the superficial business partnership marriages with mistresses and cigars and secret babies and all that nonsense, we need examples of what a loving couple not only looks like but how they behave. After 22 years, I’m still grateful to say that my husband can give me goose flesh with a look. I know when he watches me from across a room. When he holds my hand, it’s electrifying. When we are in a crowd, we are alone together. A smile carries memories and secrets and future promises. A glance is a signal. There is no need to say “I love you” though we love to hear it. We show each other all the time in the simplest of ways.
So perhaps it is discomforting for some in the US to see this sort of love from an intact Black family when it defies every media sterotype. The Obamas are far from the norm for black families, but they are also very very far from the exceptions. Get used to it. There is love in the White House at last!

He’s too liberal? POTUS too liberal? That’s laughable.

Here’s the bottom line: POTUS has identified himself as a Black man. When he walks down the street, that’s what the people see. There are still people stuck with the institutional racism that will permeate our country until every last militiaman, klansman, redneck and basic stupid person has been rounded up and but in a camp for re-education. Perhaps then we can give their children a chance. Somewhere along the way, they learned that it wasn’t politically correct to say that they wouldn’t vote for POTUS because he was black. Instead of the truth, they invented these superficial reasons that hold no weight. Until they can be honest with themselves, how can we expect them to be honest with us?

It’s ignorance pure and simple. No vaccine can cure. Only education and time. I can only pray we have enough of both.