{"id":942,"date":"2008-02-07T19:29:47","date_gmt":"2008-02-07T19:29:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.blackactivistwg.org\/blog\/?p=942"},"modified":"2014-01-30T20:01:54","modified_gmt":"2014-01-31T02:01:54","slug":"barack-obama-and-the-euphoria-of-madness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.blackactivistwg.org\/blog\/barack-obama-and-the-euphoria-of-madness\/","title":{"rendered":"Barack Obama and the Euphoria of Madness"},"content":{"rendered":"

Published in Issue 263 of The Black Commentator as one of its two cover stories on February 7, 2008<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This article was listed as a resource in\u00a0the Maynard Institute of Journalism Education’s Richard Prince’s Journal-isms<\/em>\u00a0column article entitled, ‘ “Turning Point” in Primaries,’ by Richard Prince\u00a0on February 13, 2008<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A portion of this article was quoted in a Counterpunch (USA) article entitled,\u00a0Be Careful What You Vote For, You Just Might Get It,<\/em>\u00a0by Donna J. Volatile on February 14, 2008<\/a>.<\/p>\n

By Larry Pinkney<\/strong><\/p>\n

Those who ignore reality and the lessons of history do so at their own peril. Ignoring reality, whether in a state of euphoria or not, is nonetheless a sure recipe for disaster.<\/p>\n

It is both sad<\/em> and simultaneously horribly<\/em> fascinating to observe so many euphorically pinning their hopes and dreams on Barack Obama, a chameleon who speaks liberally of \u201cchange\u201d but who is, himself, beholden to the very same blood-sucking corporate vampires (including Lockheed and others) who are ravaging the peoples of America, and the entire planet. It seems we have moved euphemistically from Dracula to a corporately repackaged Black<\/em>ula in the person of Barack Obama. In the very name of<\/em> \u201cchange,\u201d Obama is moving America euphorically backwards.<\/p>\n

All<\/em> of America, but most especially we Black, Brown, and Red peoples, need to pay heed to the unfolding debacle known as the \u201cObama phenomenon.\u201d This so-called \u201cphenomenon\u201d is propelled by blind euphoria, while being steeped in double-speak and disinformation. The danger in this is self-evident.<\/p>\n

Never mind that Barack Obama is a stalwart supporter of apartheid \/ corporate<\/em> Zionism and is beholden to the Zionist corporate lobby in the US, which wags the people of America as a whole to the tune of billions upon billions of dollars from the coffers of this nation. It should be noted that Barack Obama made it quite clear in The Jerusalem Post<\/em> newspaper (Israel) of January 29, 2008, that the Palestinian people whose lands are, and have long been, illegally and militarily occupied by Israel, \u201cdo not have the right of return.\u201d Similar to the wanton genocide that America carried out against the indigenous, so-called \u201cIndian\u201d peoples on this North American continent under the cover of Manifest Destiny<\/em>, so it is that the Zionists are simultaneously<\/em> carrying out de facto apartheid and genocide against the Palestinian people. Black, Red, and Brown peoples should pay close attention to this horrible reality, which is supported by Barack Obama, and no amount of Obama double-speak can obfuscate this outrage. Black Americans must realize unequivocally that every Israeli or Jewish person is not<\/em> necessarily a Zionist, just as every German was not<\/em> necessarily a Nazi (Adolph Hitler in fact also murdered thousands of non-Jewish Germans who opposed him). However, make no mistake about this: Nazism, Zionism, and apartheid are inextricably tied together. Moreover, it should be clearly understood that Semitic<\/em> peoples include both<\/em> Arab and Jewish peoples, including Palestinians. Thus, the constant tactic of depicting any who criticize the actions of Zionists as being \u201canti-Semitic,\u201d is inaccurate, diversionary, and ridiculous. Barack Obama is deeply beholden to apartheid \/ corporate Zionism at the expense of the Palestinian people and peace with justice throughout the so-called Middle East.<\/p>\n

Never mind that Barack Obama, contrary to corporate myth, was never in reality a so-called grassroots, political, \u201ccommunity activist,\u201d but was in fact a financially paid, funded, and comfortable opportunist who did not lay his life on the line in any serious manner for disenfranchised people. Moreover, his alleged \u201cvolunteer\u201d work in Chicago was anything but<\/em> the stuff of legend in serving the people, though one would never learn this from his current supporters in the corporate<\/em> media. Indeed, Barack Obama is himself the beneficiary<\/em><\/strong> of the many serious and committed women and men grassroots, political, community activists who went before him, and who often paid<\/em> for their activism by tortuous<\/em> jail\/prison time and\/or death<\/em>. Serious community activism is no joke and will never <\/em>be hailed or supported by corporations or the corporate media.<\/p>\n

Never mind that Barack Obama has indicated both verbally and in writing that he favors \u201cunilateral\u201d US military actions against other nations, which is both dangerously absurd and in direct contravention and flagrant violation of international law.<\/em> Notwithstanding the constant double-speak of Barack Obama, his admiration for Ronald Reagan (who despised US working men and women and who unilaterally militarily invaded the tiny Black nation<\/strong> of Grenada<\/em>), and his warm relationship with William Daley of the infamous and racist Daley political machine in Chicago, should, at bare minimum, give people of good will (of all colors) serious pause for thought.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, and despite all of the foregoing, there are those who insist, regarding Barack Obama: \u201cAt least he\u2019s black!\u201d Is he? What is<\/em> Blackness and what does it really<\/em> mean in America? And how is being bamboozled, pimped, and disenfranchised by a black person any better than being emaciated by a person of any other<\/em> color? Think about it as if your very life depends on it, because, ultimately, it may.<\/p>\n

The January 31, 2008, Daily Sun of Nigeria<\/em>, in an article entitled, “Barack Obama May Win, But He\u2019s No African American,” poignantly stated, in relevant part: \u201cThere are several fundamental issues that must be clarified to understand the importance of Obama\u2019s candidacy. First of all, strictly speaking Barack Obama is not<\/em> an African-American – but an African who is American. He\u2019s not<\/em> a descendant of the enslaved Africans who built America without reward or respect<\/em> for their contributions\u2026 But there is a side to his character that well-illustrates the differences between himself and the average \u2018Black American.\u2019 For instance, when speaking of his heritage he points proudly to his living relatives [in Kenya]\u2026 He doesn\u2019t have the burden or challenge<\/em> of discussing how his<\/em> ancestors overcame prejudice within the very society he\u2019s striving to rule<\/em> He doesn\u2019t have to refer to the disenfranchisement and dehumanization of his ancestors<\/em> when he speaks of the legacy that he represents\u2026\u201d Nor does he have or relate to the collective suffering and ongoing struggle of a physically and emotionally brutalized Black America.<\/p>\n

Many Black Americans and our Brown and Red sisters and brothers will, I fear, come to be deeply disappointed in Barack Obama, once he demonstrates who he really is. There will be no peace or justice under an Obama Presidency, should such come to pass. Even the majority of white Americans, with the exception of the corporate<\/em> liberals and conservatives, may yet come to realize that Obama\u2019s interests are corporate<\/em> interests; they are not<\/em> the needs and interests of everyday people, who represent the overwhelming majority of this nation and the world.<\/p>\n

It must be reiterated that the Democrat and<\/em> Republican Parties have consistently sold out Black, Red, Brown, Yellow, and White peoples in America. There is no doubt that the blind euphoria being experienced by those who are presently not critically thinking – is also being experienced by the elite of the US corporate\/military\/media apparatus – except that their euphoria is not blind. It is callous, calculating, and cold-blooded.<\/p>\n

We need to be about the business of thinking and acting outside the box and building political parties that are outside the box, parties that serve the economic, social, and political interests of the masses of people. This is precisely why the candidacy of former US Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney for President and the Power To The People Coalition is of such enormous importance for the present and for the future<\/em>. This coalition is all about collectively laying the foundation for systemic change – which is the only way that we can enjoy real<\/em> change.<\/p>\n

Blind euphoria notwithstanding, those who ignore reality and the lessons of history, do so at their own peril. Now, more than ever, is the time to be critical thinkers, not blind followers.<\/p>\n