| Topic: |
Politics > Politics |
| User: |
"Gandalf Grey" |
| Date: |
31 Jul 2006 11:25:03 AM |
| Object: |
Groping Killer Speaks at NAACP |
Margaret Kimberley: 'Groping killer speaks at NAACP'
Margaret Kimberley, The Black Commentator
The NAACP made more headlines than usual at its recent annual convention
because of one speaker. Who was that person?
1.. He stole one and possibly two elections to become president of the USA
2.. He was photographed sexually harassing the Chancellor of Germany
3.. He sent a huge cache of weapons to a nation on the verge of invading
another sovereign nation
4.. All of the above
Number four is correct. George W. Bush spoke at the NAACP convention. Most
presidents, including Nixon and Reagan, do that at least once during their
term in office, but Bush had never seen fit to show up. This year's
convention was the sixth held during the Bush presidency and the first
invitation the White House accepted. Hopefully it will be the last.
It isn't really surprising that he would show up now. The Republicans are
fighting to retain control of Congress this November. That is why they held
their first ever Be Nice to Black People week before Bush made his splash.
It was a smart move. The hapless Democrats, dedicated to neither offending
nor appealing to any constituency, may still be unable to control either the
House or Senate despite the Bush popularity plunge. Bush gets a twofer with
the NAACP. He looks like a moderate, compassionate conservative. In doing so
he appeals to white voters who are deluded about the awful nature of the
Bush beast if he is in the presence of a critical mass of brown faces.
Be Nice to Black People included Senate approval of a 25 year extension of
the Voting Rights Act. It was even called the Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks,
Coretta Scott King Voting Rights Act. No one can complain about extension of
the Act or the mouthful of a title that honored departed heroes. The Voting
Rights Act was in true danger of expiring.
For a while it seemed as if the chain emails warning about the end of voting
rights were finally going to be accurate. White southerners, almost all
Republicans, made good on their one party rule bully tactics and openly
spoke of rejecting the Act's renewal for the first time in 40 years. Karl
Rove decided that passage of the act might be helpful to Republicans after
all, so he called off the dogs. Machiavellian manipulations saved the day
for civil rights.
Like anyone who ever gives a speech, Bush started out with a joke. "Bruce is
a polite guy - I thought what he was going to say, it's about time you
showed up." He then used stale Republican talking points geared to black
audiences with some phony contrition thrown in for good measure. "I
understand that many African-Americans distrust my political party." Lynn
Swann, Ken Blackwell and Michael Steele are supposed to prove otherwise.
Even Bush had to admit that a big lie has been peddled.
Condi Rice had to be present of course. While the world demanded that Bush
attempt to end the bloodshed brought to Lebanon and Gaza by Israel, his
Secretary of State sat and gave him domestic political cover. She should
have been on her way to Jerusalem, ordering the Israelis to stop their
carnage. Instead they declared their intention to kill more people, telling
the terrorized Lebanese to run fast, or risk being killed.
Like a bad child, Bush is always on his worst behavior when he is away from
home. Before the NAACP convention, Bush's most scrutinized public appearance
was at the G8 summit in Russia. When he wasn't waxing philosophical about
flight times from China, and observing that it was a really big country,
"Russia's big and so is China," he was copping a feel from the new German
Chancellor, Angela Merkel.
It was horrifying to see the President of the United States give an unwanted
shoulder massage to another world leader. Unfortunately said leader is
female and as such is not entitled to her own personal space. After
literally recoiling at Bush's touch, she diplomatically feigned a smile.
Every American worker gets a memo, lecture or video explaining the dos and
don'ts of avoiding a hostile work environment. Touching people who haven't
asked to be touched is a sure fire recipe for a lawsuit, and Ms. Merkel's
case was caught on tape. Bush ought to be sued like a clueless office
manager who demeans a secretary. I guess he sees Angela Merkel as the new
gal in the secretarial pool.
Hopefully the leadership of the NAACP and the rest of black America doesn't
feel the need to be validated by the presence of such a person, even if he
is Commander in Chief of the United States. He ended his week by expediting
a shipment of bombs to Israel, proving that its terror would end if Uncle
Sam demanded it, and insuring that the rest of the world continues to hate
every American.
It isn't necessary that every president show up to speak for the NAACP. This
year the guest of honor was a sexist groper determined to kill. As the old
saying goes, "Be careful what you ask for."
Margaret Kimberley's Freedom Rider column appears weekly in BC. Ms.
Kimberley is a freelance writer living in New York City. She can be reached
via e-Mail at margaret.kimberley@blackcommentator.com. You can read more of
Ms. Kimberley's writings at freedomrider.blogspot.com.
Source: The Black Commentator
http://blackcommentator.com/193/193_
freedom_rider_groping_killer_pf.html
--
NOTICE: This post contains copyrighted material the use of which has not
always been authorized by the copyright owner. I am making such material
available to advance understanding of
political, human rights, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues. I
believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of such copyrighted material as
provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright
Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107
"A little patience and we shall see the reign of witches pass over, their
spells dissolve, and the people recovering their true sight, restore their
government to its true principles. It is true that in the meantime we are
suffering deeply in spirit,
and incurring the horrors of a war and long oppressions of enormous public
debt. But if the game runs sometimes against us at home we must have
patience till luck turns, and then we shall have an opportunity of winning
back the principles we have lost, for this is a game where principles are at
stake."
-Thomas Jefferson
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