FROM SLAVERY TO THE WHITE HOUSE

"The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America - I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you - we as a people will get there," Obama said in Chicago, Illinois, before an estimated crowd of up to 240,000 people.

Barack Obama wrote a new chapter into US history becoming the first African-American elected president, capping a stunning rise which in just four years propelled him into the Oval Office.

With unflagging energy and vitality, he took on the political establishment, defeating former first lady Hillary Clinton in the party primaries, overturned the perception that America was not ready to vote for a black president, and crushed the weight of the Republican attack machine.

Four short years ago, Obama was just a little-known but charismatic Chicago politician with a ready smile, who wowed the 2004 Democratic convention with a dazzling speech. The world’s greatest boxing champion, Ali, once said, “Champions must have skill and good will. The good will must be stronger than the skill”.

Certainly, Barack Obama possesses both qualities enormously and used them effectively to achieve a long, overdue dream, walk to freedom. Obama said “America change is now or never…, America you have spoken…., this is your time…. and this is your choice…..” and obviously, the choice was manifested on November 4th, 2008 electing him as their president to the White House. www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1856914,00.html

The next biggest choice and change would be the name of the White House which is outdated and it was named at the time of white domination and the American people need to carry on with the choice and change by naming it with universal names such as American House, Open House, Lincoln House or Obama House to mark this audacity of historic hope and change in progress.

"There is no a black America, and white America and Latino America and Asian America- there's the United States of America," he proclaimed then. The same is true if I say there is no a Black House, and White House and Latino House and Asian House- there is the American House, …..

It was a message he has used to ignite a new fervor and excitement in a country angered by the economic crisis which has dragged down the world's top economy and sickened by the Iraq war.

In defying the odds, the 47 year old, Obama has reshaped conventional wisdom on how to pay for a successful White House bid by harnessing the Internet as a powerful fund-raising tool.

As a community organizer, he understood that the younger generation is the locomotive of change. Obama directly addressed and motivated the young generation and middle income communities to embrace a new agenda called ‘change we believe in’. By so doing he galvanized millions of young Americans to enroll for change and preached so well that America change is now or never. On the contrary John McCain solely depended on traditional followers that are the haves and CEOs.

McCain lacked mass base, resources and energy to bring to Americans the change they want in the 21st century.

Obama’s campaign also put together a formidable grass-roots organization, especially in key battleground states, which in the end gave him an unstoppable momentum towards the White House.

The son of a Kenyan, African, father and a white mother from Kansas, America, Obama has sought to rise above the issue of race and project himself as the candidate for all Americans.

But his victory on will remain bittersweet for Obama, after the woman who raised him to believe he would be whatever he wanted to be passed away just hours before his crowning moment.

His white maternal grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, whom he called "Toot" lost her battle with cancer in her home in Hawaii, never living to see Obama realize the aspirations of generations. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7436720.stm

In a rare show of emotion, from a man who has been seen as cool and collected throughout the grueling 21-month campaign, tears streamed down Obama's face at a North Carolina rally.

His voice thick with grief, Obama said this was a "bitter-sweet time for me. She is going home".

Obama recapped his grandmother's life from her birth in 1922 and her marriage to his grandfather, their struggles through the Great Depression and with his infant mother through World War II.

"She was one of those quiet heroes that we have all across America," said Obama. "They're not famous. Their names aren't in the newspapers," he said, vowing to fight for all the country's quiet heroes.

Born in Hawaii on August 4, 1961, Obama's path to the White House has not been backed by the privilege and wealth often enjoyed by past candidates.

His father left when he was just two, and the young Obama later moved to Indonesia with his mother, Ann, when she re-married.

He spent several years in Jakarta, before returning to Hawaii to live with his maternal grandparents when he was in his teens.

After attending Columbia University in New York, Obama went to the elite Harvard Law School, where he was the first black American to be president of the influential Harvard Law Review.

It was while working at a Chicago law firm that he met and then married Michelle, a fellow lawyer, in 1992. The couple has two young daughters, Malia 10, and Sasha, seven.

On November 4 the world, as it expected, saw an African American, Barack Obama, rise to the highest post of the most powerful nation on Earth.
It's how everything that happened with black people and the drastic changes were in the past, and for once it's in the present and we can have a stake.

I screamed so loudly and cried during his victory speech. Words cannot describe how proud I am of Barack Obama and his accomplishments. I have followed his race repeatedly, joined barackobama.com site and most importantly I began to believe that he could win during his campaign. The road ahead of us will be difficult and the fight will be hard, but last night was a great victory, and I honestly believed that Obama can beat John McCain.

I watched McCain's speech and I didn't see change- I saw the same old politics and the same legacy of elderly Anglo Saxon men leading America. Americans want real change! They want a better foreign policy that is not driven by arrogant bully tactics. They want an educational system that actually doesn't leave a child behind. They want a leader who knows more about the economy than I know, I know and I do. They want a leader who understands the complexity of race relations in America and civil rights issues.

And dammed, I want somebody that looks like me in a leadership role for a change!

I was so excited watching history being made - the election of Barack Obama, the first black president.
Until now, the history of the black civil rights movement in America has been largely that - history.
The great moments and characters that define it - the desegregation of schools, the "I Have a Dream" speech of 1963, the Rosa Parks and Martin Luther Kings - serve as the milestones describing the slow transition to equal rights. For blacks living being marginalized in a just and equal society is equal to prisoner’s in a death raw waiting for their doomsday to come.

Who will forget the infamous Governor of Alabama, George Wallace, who issued a proclamation against integration and stood in a doorway to prevent two black students enrolling at the University of Alabama in the 60s?

In this planet earth there is no place where you could find respect for black race including our own Africa. Blacks are facing insults, beating and killing for exercising their right to speak up, belong to any party they choose and vote in any kind of elections by their own government who have low expectations and respect for their own black people.

The monkey chant in European sport stadiums and the street attack by white supremacists on European streets and the Asian countries prejudice against black people is all known.

Now, Americans by putting a black person as their leader has now challenged the world to show respect for fellow black people wherever they are.

I have no doubt; however, it is only in America blacks can reach to the highest office through democratic election living as members of the minority community. This could not have been possible in Europe and you should not even think in Asia and Australia.

We as a people congratulate Americans for their unity as “one people” and for electing Barack Obama as their president. Congratulations!

Watching a black man become president is an inspiration, a reflection that the fabled land of opportunity has opened the doors to people of colour as well, a coup for blacks, the United States and the world.

It's very inspiring to know we've gone from nowhere to somewhere, from nobody to somebody and from slavery to the White House having a black man as president.

It will be a great influence on all the people that are racist against blacks. Obama's election is one of the greatest achievements for America and for black people around the world living in obscurity.

Bigotry is still well and alive and flourishing implicitly. But the fact that Obama explicitly and smartly muted race issues during his campaign gave way for his vision of hope and change to gracefully emerge. www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=7743407308044900839&postID=1514072184902445175

Racism is far more widespread in the United States, UK and other countries than in Australia.
The race issue is not as prevalent in Australia as in the States, with its gangs and crime.

I don't think the country’s politicians are sensitive to the subtleties of Australian race issues. Still, the effect of having an intelligent, articulate black man on TV on a regular basis can't help but have a positive effect.

Yet again, you can't underestimate the value of breaking those stereotypes. To do so Australia and other countries must give equal opportunity and allow black people/artists to take part in the media rather than paint white people’s faces as black to take part in comedy and artistic roles. There are more black artists equally talented if not overly artistic to do the job.

To see the inauguration video, search for "President Barack Obama 2009 Inauguration and Address" on youtube search line after you finish viewing.

For Australia, apologizing to the stolen generation is just symbolic when the road to recovery and change is so steep by not giving Aborigines and other blacks an opportunity and support, to perform in the mainstream artistic industry and managerial positions, without resenting and discriminating.

Nevertheless, one day change will come to Australia that a black man will be the leader of the Democratic Republic of Australia, New Zealand, UK and other European and Asian countries.

At last! With role models like Obama and new generations raised in a multicultural mix, we're finally nearing the point where a candidate of colour will no longer be an issue.

Congratulations Mr. President!

LET US IMPROVISE

We Ethiopians are plagued by what has become a destructive political culture that we have inherited from our past generations. The old politics of fear tactics that disseminated to the public by few good natured naïve or/and evil individuals including some egotistic need not to be taken so gravely and avoided but discussed mutually to arrive at an amicable resolution for a common cause. We need to build a system of transparency, honesty and accountability if we all Ethiopians need to work together in a united effort. We often attempt to destroy instead of building on or improving the existing projects, organizations and other supportive entities, to fulfill our self-righteousness. We should also not be disconcerted by those people who have weighed down our contributions and unity by creating division, destruction, rumor mongering, mischief, blaming, lying, envying rather than commending those who have achieved enormously in their personal life or helping others and those who are sharpening and strengthening their self-interest. At sometime in our lives, no doubt we men deserved our shame for our past mistakes, but as justified as they may be, naming, blaming and shaming our fellow comrades are solid barriers to connecting, understanding and only serves to create bitterness, widening isolation and more wounding. Therefore, we must drop our culturally inherited blame game and not pursue who is wrong and right as this will not serve our purpose and see the good side of our common cause and start our journey of healing. The blame game will stop when we understand each other in ways that delight us, or inspire our compassion, revealing our true identity when communicating electronically or visually rather than using nicknames and fake identities which will create more suspicion and limits heart to heart interactions and encouraging each other with healing words and, most of all, offering our recognition and gratitude for the good works we have done. If honesty is the best policy why conceal our identity. Only if we reveal our true identity to each other that we will be able to redeem our mistakes and communicate honestly and earnestly. If all is not well and taken too far, it becomes the pursuit of power and self-interest appears as controlling behavior, bullying and insensitive to the needs of everyone.

Let us improvise our rich society. We need to coordinate connections to have the Barack Obama’s new message of “hope and change” in our attitude and reach out across all Ethiopians by all means necessary. Forgive me, this, may be, is not construed as comparison but, if Obama and America can make a change, we, as Ethiopians and Ethiopia can make huge difference. Yichalal!! The right to solidify our unity should not be restricted by race, gender, belief, social status, intelligence, or status of other Ethiopian ethnic communities. We all are Ethiopians regardless of our different ethnic communities, organizations and any political parties we choose to belong. Barack Obama’s big impact to making his message of hope and change became a reality because of his uniting message to the American people when he said, “there is not a black America and a white America and Latino America and Asian America – there is the United States of America”. “We are not collection of red states and blue states – we are the United States”. Today, some ethnic Ethiopians living around the world do not interact with their fellow Ethiopians because of a whole lot of past grievances, political and ideology differences. I highly respect and sympathize with them knowing how my culture back home operate without going in to detail as you all know leaving that to your imagination. However, irrespective of our interactions, we share the love of our mother land and our families and friends back home. We should not hold grudges for our past, force and condemn individuals for they have their own unique views like ours for not taking part in any organizations, parties and community endeavors. We need to accentuate positive moral principles and welcome every Ethiopian with an open mind and a warm heart. We should respect everyone regardless of their commentary values for just taking part to make a difference. We can not afford not to smile to each other, to feel resentment and to dwell on the past. It is time to move on embracing, not denigrating, each other. We should not see differences as divisions rather is our right to exercise our freedom to do what’s right for ourselves without harboring hatred and alienations from our community, friends and common ideals. By abandoning our unity, we are neglecting the struggle for reversing the alarming danger of ethnic violence and potential disintegration of Ethiopia. This further tears apart the community than uniting. Consequently, this will lead the struggle for democracy and freedom for all Ethiopians in disarray. The choice is ours; we either disengage ourselves from political process out of frustration or reclaim the unity we lost for achieving higher purpose. If we, Ethiopians, wish to live in democracy, prosperity and dignity disengaging ourselves is not the best choice. The choice we should all have, unity, is apparently difficult but with new dream and approach, it is attainable. The political process of Ethiopia has been a mixture of genuine struggle for democracy, ethnic politics, prejudice, corruption, personal animosity, defamation of political figures and more. All are sources of division, but there are more important reasons that unite us than the reasons divide us. As Obama did in his campaign, great American leaders never put their race or ethnicity before their humanity and believed in the American motto of ‘E pluribus Unum’ – out of many, that we are, one! Yes, out of many, we are one! This is my message for all Ethiopians including for those who are fighting to liberate the Oromiffa-speaking side or our Ethiopian Oromo Community Associations, for those who claim to be protectors of the Tigrians or our Tigrian Communities and the predominantly governing elites of Amharas or Ethiopian Communities as others observe, it is run by Amharas leading to its fragmentation due to political differences of the people managing the community monopolizing to one ethnic group inevitably. However, as a prime founding member of the first Ethiopian community, I strongly object to that notion because of my indelible beliefs and ideals that it should and stands and serves all Ethiopians without all the prejudices. Ethiopia is a multicultural society and the people are interrelated by marriages, religions, strong friendships and good neighbourhood beliefs. It is time to realize, Obama’s words, that “our stories are singular but our destiny is shared,” it is time to understand that no one is free until we all are free - it is time to join the Solidarity Movement for New Ethiopia to bring real change to our own country. Barack Obama told supporters that "change has come to America" as he claimed victory in a historic presidential election. It is our turn now to emulate the great principle and bring change in our community consequently to our country, Ethiopia, in a united effort ”…And to all those who have wondered if America’s beacon still burns as bright, tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth but from the enduring power of our ideals – democracy, liberty, opportunity and unyielding hope! That’s the true genius of America! That America can change! Our union can be perfected!” - President-elect Barrack Obama said on November 4th, 2008. The new impetus of Solidarity movement for New Ethiopia seems, in comparison to Obama’s Doctrine, a genuine movement of “hope and change” that represents “the united states of Ethiopia”. This movement is spearheaded by genius of Ethiopia Obang Metho, Executive member of the Solidarity Movement for New Ethiopia, from Anuak, Gambella, Southwestern region of Ethiopia fully supported by all Ethiopian communities around the world and getting momentum every day and currently he’s been invited by Ethiopian community in London to speak to Ethiopians. Obang is highly driven by Obama’s doctrine, I hope as we all do, is currently preaching what he practices all around the world. Obang Metho asked all Ethiopians to focus on our humanity before ethnicity and wanted us to acknowledge no Ethiopian is free until we all are free! Obang has convincingly argued why opposition political leadership cannot provide any significant change unless the rank and file of the respective parties holds them accountable. He convincingly argued that the tyrannical regime in Ethiopia is the only beneficiary of the division. To my knowledge, Obang Metho has been non partisan, like Obama inspirational speaker, good Ethiopian and, most of all, stood for Ethiopian territorial integrity and unity among its people. What I saw in Obang is a decent unifying character and a character that truly transcends partisan and ethnic politics. The challenge for him is to overcome the incongruent political reality and inspire the public with his vision of truly, united, democratic, and prosperous Ethiopia. Through Ethiopian Solidarity Forum he has started the long and arduous journey to convince ordinary citizens and politicians alike to abandon their most deeply held positions in an effort to bring an end to self destructive political culture and put their country before self-interest. If Obang’s message is about unity and as a people we must refocus all our energies to fight for common cause rather than fight among ourselves. My observation may be limited but I cannot accept anything without reasoning. Regardless of his ethnic background, Obang should be accepted and listened to any democratic speeches he is making about our country, Ethiopia, with an open mind. It is astonishing that recently I was inspired by his conviction and fervently followed Obang’s forum, discussion conferences and his captivating speeches and I have observed a much larger turnout for meetings called by opposition whose speakers were Amharas, Oromos, and Tigrians. In the recent past, there was a large scale debate on the merit of attending or not attending the meeting called by controversial figures but with dubious vision for Ethiopian people unity and territorial integrity. Surprisingly, some supporters of the oppositions have tirelessly worked in wide scale propaganda and campaigned to go out and participate in these meetings. Why not the propagandists did the same for Obang’s clear message of unity? Are we discriminating among the messengers? Are we down playing the wisdom of the humanity loving minority leaders? Are we regarding the messages of persons coming from broader ethnic group as superior? It appears to me that we still have to fight against prejudice. If we do not win the cultural war we will have difficulties to win the political war. The idea of traveling in one direction must end for Ethiopia and Ethiopians and must use all the avenues that are available. While America seems to be ready for black president, we Ethiopians seem to have a problem with ethnic background. The greater danger we face in opposition group, as Obang notes, is to allow new walls that divide us. Opposition groups and their supporters are not perfect. They make mistakes, and there are occasions that their actions do not match with what they preach, this is just one of the many hang-ups all oppositions are facing. I conclude by saying that our political culture must focus on the issues, not on the messengers, that may help us tearing down the walls that divide us. Obang could be one of the persons who are capable of bringing the divided Ethiopians to the roundtable that desperately needed. But, he cannot do it alone!! We can enrich our Ethiopian community in Diaspora while practicing solidarity to unite all Ethiopian ethnic groups by building bridges to connect everyone by delegating respective leaders from each group regardless of our differences and ethnicity by embracing our humanity and ONE Ethiopia. As we reach out to each other and celebrate our differences and hope for the emergence of New Ethiopia. Therefore, I’m asking all members of the various Ethiopian ethnic communities and Ethiopian communities to invite the charismatic Obang Metho with a united spirit to speak about his principles, objectives and aspirations of the formidable missions of Solidarity Movement for New Ethiopia. Let’s bring change to Ethiopia by bridging change in our community. The Ethiopian communities should take a leading role to reach out to all Ethiopians and ethnic communities by radio announcements, mail, e-mail, on the web, phone, word of mouth and other ways deemed necessary to connect and have a constructive dialogue to form solidarity for New Ethiopia and invite Obang jointly. Finally, America, by not electing African-American, Los Angeles Mayor, Tom Bradley as California governor in the 1982 campaign, changed the “no you can’t” response to the “yes we can” that led to the election of Senator Barrack Obama as the 44th United States President on November 4, 2008.

In good spirits, 

TIME FOR CHANGE!

THE PEOPLE’S PRINCE

Barack Obama's remarkable rise really does equate with his campaign's theme: "Change you can believe in."
In that many Americans today are concerned, even fearful, of what their future holds. Obama has demonstrated sound judgement; excellent decision making abilities and a sincere character and electing him president would be a fundamental change in leadership for America. I wouldn’t be wrong if I say that he truly is the people’s prince because he is a formidable candidate in American history who inspired millions of people around the world and we all have seen that a sea of people in America rallies and around the world absolutely adored and endorsed him to be the next President of United States of America who, undoubtedly, will bring change and re-instill the American dream and bring about peace and stability in the world.

BY FAR THE BEST MAN
I have read the stories of past presidents of America and have seen others in my life time, only a handful has been extraordinaire influential people like Senator Barack Obama. Amazingly, I read about the most prominent United States newspapers, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times & Chicago Tribune, have endorsed Senator Barack Obama to become the next United States President by praising his leadership ability, intelligence and political skill while blasting, both his opponents, Senator McCain and his running mate Gov. Sarah Palin.

Washington Post described Obama as “a man of supple intelligence, with a nuanced grasp of complex issues and evident skill at conciliation and consensus-building”. The Post also wrote, “Mr. Obama has the potential to become a great president”.
Los Angeles Times backed Obama on its Website editorial saying, “a leader who demonstrates thoughtful calm and grace under pressure”.
Obama’s hometown newspaper, Chicago Tribune, is the first time it has come out to support a democratic candidate since its founding in 1847, says.
The number of United States newspapers endorsing Obama in the November 4 election has reached 51, against 16 for his rival Senator McCain, a tally by the Editor and Publisher trade journal.
Therefore, my conclusion is, needless to say, Senator Barack Obama is by far the best man for the President, Commander in Chief, of the United States of America.

For more than 20 months, Obama has been running for president against tough and experienced opponents.
There have been some serious challenges during this time, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, the revolt by some of Senator Hillary Clinton's supporters, but he has demonstrated the kind of calm leadership, intelligence and skillful communicating that will be needed as America deals with the present economic crisis.

Obama, who has led McCain by a relatively narrow margin over weeks, now has been deliberate and careful; never losing his cool, acting presidential, if you will, before voters decide if that indeed will be his next job.
McCain has failed to sound any consistent themes; was all over the map during his final debate over the federal bailout package; McCain looked as if he has hearing problem when he incorrectly misquoted Obama’s stand on Joe the plumber’s taxation problem, looking for more criticism on Obama’s past performances rather than tangible messages of his own. He said to Obama’s face, “The witch you associated with”. Obama seemed unflappable.

Whenever Obama is speaking about very important issues, McCain was like African meerkat on the lookout looking everywhere erratically and his eyes blink 100 miles an hour grimacing and apprehensively. He looked so abrupt and smart every time Obama is telling the truth about his negative campaigning and issues of unworthiness, McCain recoils and buries his head on to his note pretending to take what was being said.

One very important thing I couldn’t understand why McCain started off the debate by mentioning the death of JFK in Dallas. I do hope that nothing like that will happen this time. Should anything happen to Obama, the Vietnam veteran is accountable. He is carrying too much anger on his chest.
Because he made a huge mistake by picking Sarah Palin, he has no choice but to embrace, impress, uplift her spirit by saying “she is a role model and I am proud of her”. Simply Pathetic!
For the current economic situation, he has come up with a $300 billion plan to buy distressed mortgages, without any description of how he would pay for it.

So far, the experienced candidate, “I know this and that, I have been there, I can fix it” Fix what? Damn, tell us. McCain has acted more like a first-timer on the national stage in contrast to Obama's consistency and calm.
Clearly, Palin is not yet ready to lead the country, but just as clearly she has struck a chord with many conservative and working-class voters and at least given the ticket a chance. While McCain's advisers were wrong to shield her for so long from journalists, the media's mockery has only added to her stature among supporters, already angry over the nearly universal adulation granted Obama.
Palin, however, is not the main issue. Eight years of the Bush administration have left America weary and yearning for hope. McCain not AcGain!
Obama, for many reasons, has given many people a sense of hope- change that America needs.

GLOBAL ISSUE
Issues such as climate change and energy will have to be dealt with during a painful recession.
The next president will need the kind of qualities that Barack Obama has demonstrated in his long and historic fight to lead the United States of America.
I worry about the environment and how America may not be the only cause of global warming, but is the biggest contributor to it. America need to focus more on alternative fuels and sources...nuclear will only be a short term answer... Change is needed. Americans have gone on in an oversized hunger for oil and not focused on what their choices in their past have done to impact their children's futures.
American schools are having less and less funding so their future leaders of tomorrow are not getting the full educations needed to be able to make educated decisions they will be forced to make. How can they lead and make educated decisions without an education?
I'm hearing more solutions than excuses from Obama. The only thing that McCain and I agree on is marriage; I think it should be only between a Man & a Woman. But I think that Gays should be able to have a lawfully binding ... civil unions that allow them the same financial rights as married heterosexual couples. The only difference is marriage is reserved for between a Man & a Woman...sorry it's Biblical...abortions, I believe woman have a right to a choice but I also believe after a certain point the fetus/baby has a right to life. Abortion should only be used in the event of rape or Extenuating circumstances.

RACIAL RHETORIC
John “That One” McCain and Sarah “That Winker” Palin have a fundamental moral and leadership responsibility to denounce the violent rhetoric that has pervaded their recent political rallies instead of screaming along encouraging hatred. When rally attendees shout out such attacks as 'terrorist' or 'kill him' about Senator Barack Obama, when they are cheered on by crowds incited by McCain-Palin rhetoric -- it is chilling that McCain and Palin do nothing to object but show their own agression instead. I must have incorrectly heard him say “whip his …you know what? Or he really meant it. America do you really want this man to be your president? Everyone should say I don’t because his anger is going to put you back into unwanted war again.
Why isn't McCain doing anything about his supporters shouting disgracefully at his rallies? You could see him jerk when someone shouted out terrorist at one of his rallies, but he has said nothing about it. This is not an honorable man running an honorable campaign. This is a desperate man “say anything, do anything” racing against time and trying to energize his base and losing it. He just called his followers his fellow prisoners at a rally.
McCain called on rally supporters, "Friends, we've got them just where we want them," he said. "What America needs in this hour is a fighter”. He sounded like George Bush. McCain has already stirred the pots of hatred that he's brewed. Backing off now doesn't mean much, because his message has already been delivered by his messenger Barbie doll, Palin. She is definitely a pit-bull in lipstick; someone needs to put her back in the kennel.

Barack Obama and John McCain traded jibes at a black-tie charity dinner in New York. McCain at the end of his night’s jokes said, “Today, it’s a world away from the crude and prideful bigotry of that time, and good riddance. I can’t wish my opponent luck — but I do wish him well.” I find some of his jokes were venomous and full of bigotry and I saw a lot of people laughing to tears including Hillary Clinton. McCain seemed like on full last minute campaign again he may be “did not get it” this was supposed to be a light hearted charity dinner.
Then it was barrack Obama’s turn telling jokes about the housing crisis, saying it had hit McCain and his multiple homes heavier than most. “Contrary to the rumors, I was not born in a manger,” he said, also winning laughs for returning to the “that one” comment from McCain and delivering a one-liner about his middle name, Hussein. Obama’s jokes were crisp and jovial, none evasive.
“Many of you know that I got my name, Barack, from my father. What you may not know is that Barack is actually Swahili for ‘that one’,” he said, referring to his Kenyan father. “And I got my middle name from somebody who obviously didn’t think I’d ever run for president,” Obama said. “But to name my greatest strength I guess it would be my humility. Greatest weakness, it’s possible that I’m a little too awesome.”

SENATORS OBAMA & McCAIN ROAST EACH OTHER AT ALFRED E. SMITH GLOVES OFF DINNER

To see McCain's turn, search for "McCain roasts Obama at Alfred E. Smith(Full video)"

In a world where unspeakable violence is too often promulgated by extremists, it is no small or trivial matter to call someone a terrorist or to incite potentially dangerous individuals toward violence. John McCain and Sarah Palin are walking a very thin line in pretending not to hear the hateful invectives spewed at their rallies. McCain should end this line of attack in the strongest possible terms. Anything less puts McCain in the same camp as the racists and extremists of the bygone era and those who are bringing their angry rhetoric to his campaign events.
“I know there are some people who won’t vote for me because I’m black, and that’s ok,” said Democratic candidate Barack Obama.Even as the economy seems to be in freefall, as Americans grapple with whether to vote for Obama, the first African American presidential nominee, or his Republican opponent, John McCain, it’s a decision unavoidably colored by race whether they like it or not.
Barack Obama, the son of a white American mother and a black father from Kenya, says his race is not an issue for him. “I self-identify as African American. That’s how I’m treated and that’s how I’m viewed, and I’m proud of it.”But, unquestionably, his race is an issue for some Americans. If in any case, God forbid some how, Obama loses this election, it has to be written again in American history that America still don’t accept blacks in any higher positions than them and they implicitly continue to show their racist attitudes. However, if Obama wins this election, he won it because of his formidable campaigning strategy and intelligent management skills that he has shown us throughout his campaign. Joe Trippi, was a former Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley’s deputy campaign manager, a Democratic political consultant and an analyst for CBS News, says that Obama is running to be America’s president, “not African-American’s president or White-American’s president, but everybody’s president”.
In fact, race is a political hot potato that burns anyone who gets close. When Hillary Clinton said she more than Obama appealed to “hard-working Americans, white Americans,” she was accused of exploiting the racial divide.
When Sarah Palin tells her crowds Obama doesn’t see America like they do, she says she means he’s an elitist. Others see that as a racial issue.

The race issue forced Obama to tackle race in America head-on, in a speech last March in Philadelphia where he said,” I have asserted a firm conviction - a conviction rooted in my faith in God and my faith in the American people - that working together we can move beyond some of our old racial wounds, and that in fact we have no choice if we are to continue on the path of a more perfect union.”

University of Washington social psychologist Anthony Greenwald says, “Implicit bias,” or unconscious attitudes don’t control behavior but they lurk in all of us. When it comes to Americans’ attitudes on race, he found a widespread preference for whites.

This is also a wakeup call to world news media manipulation including that of UK and Australian media hype to play an equitable game when reporting or writing about Obama or other high status blacks around the world.
Media too often play bigotry by portraying deep-seated jealousy, inferiority complex and so often the truth will suffer for such ridiculous arrogance. It should not only be limited to their misfortune and tumbling but their achievement as well. I have seen very limited news of Barack Obama but a lot of news on his opponents in the Australian news media. We do not see and hear much about, Dr. Condoleezza Rice, US Secretary of State, all the efforts she is making around the world trying to bring peace and stability. But we have seen and read almost everyday about the former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright when she was making the same effort. These are just tip of the iceberg without going into details of argy-bargy because you all know what’s being said here. Time to move on! Time for change! Read......

www.simenehmakonnen.blogspot.com/2008/07/what-is-it-racism-sexism-or-everything.html

David Sears from UCLA calls it, racial resentment - the belief of some whites that blacks complain too much, or don’t try hard enough - attitudes they take into the voting booth.
Undoubtedly race matters. When Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley ran for governor in 1982, it appeared he was certain to become California’s first black chief executive when the last polls had him up 10 points. Yet, he lost. Joe Trippi says, “It was probably the most crushing defeat I’ve been part of.” “It gave us the term “the Bradley Effect” - the assumption that when it comes to black candidates, polls or rather people who talk to pollsters lie, fearing they’ll be seen as bigots.

One would ask what about Obama? I hope it will not happen this time.Trippi thinks the country has come a long way and race may not be an issue but he warns that the fire is not gone out yet and others believe that the Bradley effect is an artifact of the 80s and does not apply to today’s society.
Others comment about high-ranking blacks in the Bush White House have gotten Americans used to blacks in positions of authority. Even pop culture has helped Americans entertain the idea of a black commander-in-chief. Strong, successful black presidents in movies like Morgan Freeman in “Deep Impact” and TV shows like Dennis Haysbert in “24″ may have set the stage.

UCLA sociology professor Darnell Hunt says, “The media are pretty good at normalizing things, and if people see it enough in the media, suddenly it seems like something that, yeah, this can happen.” But this is the real world, with the real world issues: two foreign wars, and an economy in deep crisis. America had the first African American Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Secretary of State, General Colin Luther Powell (picture), but never had black Commander in Chief or President before.

A long time Republican Colin Powell crossed his party lines to join Democrats and endorse Barack Obama for president. He specifically cites, “And I come to the conclusion that because of his ability to inspire, because of the inclusive nature of his campaign, because he is reaching out all across America, because of who he is and his rhetorical abilities – and we have to take that into account – as well as his substance. He has both style and substance. He has met the standard of being a successful president, being an exceptional president. I think he is a transformational figure. He is a new generation coming in to the world, on to the world stage, on to the American stage. And for that reason, I’ll be voting for Senator Barack Obama”.
Wow! That says it all. That is a huge order from the General!

Perhaps the long awaited ‘Roots’, now, have grown and fully ripe and I hope that America will get over the past injustices and choose Senator Barack Obama who is the best candidate to transform the predicament of American Values with a renewed Spirit.
Simeneh

BARACK OBAMA SHOWS PROFESSORIAL DISCIPLINE

In the presidential matchup debate at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, it was one of Barack Obama’s possibly best performance of the campaign and I thought it had a lot to do with the format. All along we’ve heard how John McCain excels in town hall settings.
But tonight he seemed old, cranky, and downright tired as he trooped around the stage. His movements were stiff and jerky–surely a product of his brutal treatment in Vietnam, but nonetheless pitiless to watch. My hunch is that McCain has benefited from having the stage to himself in past town hall meetings. Sharing the spotlight with a much younger, more vigorous and agile Obama really highlighted his physical liabilities in a way that hadn’t previously been apparent.
By contrast, Obama really benefited from his years as a law professor. He was fluent and very much at ease walking and talking at the same time. He had a professor’s ability for making eye contact and maintaining it while he walked a questioner through a multi-step response. And his answers were much more concrete and intuitive than I’d ever heard them.
On the question of health care, for example, Obama was effective at defusing McCain’s cheap anti-government rhetoric with tangible evidence at every step of the way. He explained why healthcare should be a right by describing his mother’s fight with insurers during the final months of her life.
He explained that the reason he mandates coverage for children is that they’re “relatively cheap to insure and we don’t want them going to the emergency room for treatable illnesses like asthma.” And he exposed the shallowness of arguments about government intrusion by pointing out that, without regulators, insurers don’t always deliver on what you pay them for. The answer was so clear that it was professorial in the best sense.
The best example of Obama’s explanation came when the debate turned to Pakistan. The questioner seemed hostile to Obama’s approach: “Should the United States respect Pakistani sovereignty and not pursue al Qaeda terrorists who maintain bases there, or should we ignore their borders and pursue our enemies like we did in Cambodia during the Vietnam War?”
In response to the question, Obama did a number of important things. First, he provided some critical background: We wouldn’t even be having this discussion had Bush destroyed al Qaeda before invading Iraq. Instead, Bush allowed al Qaeda to escape to Pakistan, from which they’re sniping at our troops and destabilizing the region. Next, Obama explained that we’d first exhaust other options–giving the Pakistanis an incentive to do the job themselves–before launching a strike. Only at that point, he said, and only “if we have Osama bin Laden in our sights and the Pakistani government is unable or unwilling to take them out,” would he give the go-ahead. It was about as far from gratuitously belligerent as you could get–and all thanks to Obama’s soothing, professorial wrap up.

John McCain’s crankiness starting to show similarities with Australia’s war hero and a dogmatic racial creepy-crawly, Bruce Ruxtorn, whom I met once in the ABC TV studio full of audience discussing immigration issues. For that matter, both men resemble in the way they act, interact and spit bad languages of racial intolerance.
For his part, McCain mangled his explanations and stepped on his own canned punchlines. His diction was bizarrely geriatrician at times, culminating with his inexplicable reference to Obama as “that one”–language befitting a grandchild who refuses to eat his broccoli. McCain criticized his Democratic rival for supporting the 2007 Bush-Cheney energy bill, "It wa s an energy bill on the floor of the Senate, loaded down with goodies, billions for oil companies, and it was sponsored by Bush and Cheney. ... You know who voted for it? You might never know. That one," he said, gesturing toward Obama. "You know who voted against it? Me."

To McCain’s demise, Obama recently said, "I can take four more weeks of John McCain's attacks, but America can't take four more years of John McCain's Bush policies."

Though McCain has traditionally been deft at larding his responses with anecdotes, tonight was mostly argument by cranky assertion. I counted over a dozen times when McCain began a sentence or clause with the phrase “I know”–as in “I know how to get America working again” and “I know how to fix this economy.” Great, but a lot of voters don’t know and believe you. How about an example or two next time?
McCain faced a tough choice coming into this debate. He looked as if he wishes he wasn’t there. Tonight McCain managed to pull off an impressive achievement. He managed to do nothing particularly dramatic, yet still give the impression that he’s old and unsteady. I see very little for him to build on after tonight’s debate. Sorry, the game is over for John McCain.

Bush or McCain not AcGain!

CHOOSE THE BEST & LEAVE THE WORST!

Is Sarah Palin a good winker or thinker?

Vice-presidential nominee Alaskan Governor and former beauty contestant Sarah Palin started her debate winking at the audience and her opponent Democratic vice-presidential nominee Senator Joseph Biden.
Her debate performance was pretty much what expected of her, rambling everywhere by avoiding to answer the real question when confronted by the moderator.
She has been ridiculed so many times on recent interview stumbles, and some conservatives are questioning McCain’s wisdom in selecting her.
He only chose her to play the old game of politics on Senator Obama but didn’t know if his vice-nominee is qualified to do the task of executing responsibilities without repeating the same mistakes like that of George Bush’s.
She is at risk of becoming presidential Barbie doll. She reminds me of Pauline Hanson of Australia. Check it out http://simenehmakonnen.blogspot.com/2008/09/obama-is-creating-good-karma.htmlml
Being quick study, has become the problem as the McCain campaign has overloaded her with more information she can muster. The US economic crisis has skidded and knocked the wind out of both candidates McCain and Palin and they are struggling to regain grip.

Don’t be hoodwinked by McCain and Palin’s reckless last minute gasping campaign of condescending, blaming, smear tactics and prepared to do anything against formidable opponents, Obama and Biden, and obviously racing against time and the change they have never experienced before.

On the contrary, Senator Biden gave strong and detailed analysis of every question he’s been asked during the debate. Furthermore, Governor Palin while making accusations on Senator Obama has never ever called him Senator, not even once.
How arrogant is that? That’s why she acts, talks, looks, stumbles and so on like Australian Pauline Hanson.
Sarah Palin was not chosen for her foreign policy expertise or intellectual might either, no amount of coaching can reverse that.
Therefore, she returned to the very traits that made her an attractive, winker political upstart and held her own against a much more experienced, opponent, candidate, Senator Biden. In the process she may have helped shore up some nervous voters who initially warmed to her winking smile but were in danger of skidding away.
Sarah can wink, charm and smile but she can’t fool the whole America like George Bush did with his wicked smile.

BUSH or McCAIN not AcGAIN!
John McCain wants to cut and run from the presidential campaign but keep our troops in Iraq indefinitely. John McCain didn't know the nation was in a financial crisis and didn't know his campaign manager was defrauding Freddie Mac. John McCain wasn't aware that his campaign aide was on the bankroll of the Georgian president. John McCain didn't know Sarah Palin was for all the earmarks he was against. And he didn't know she could stare into Putin's eyes from her balcony. John McCain didn't know he could still participate in the presidential debate without having to be on the stage in the same city. John McCain also didn't know how to set up an e-mail account. John McCain didn't know that his attempt to sabotage his campaign by pulling a Palin on his crew, and the White House-led GOP at the last minute without notice, wouldn't get him out of the campaign that easy. John McCain also didn't know that his latest cowardly efforts to duck and dodge not only jeopardize his "war hero" status, but also lends credence to the notion that he is running from questions about his complicit involvement with Freddie Mac and dodging efforts to prevent any investigative media from asking Sarah Palin legitimate questions that conveniently Fox News forgot to ask (which would be every question in a real reporter's notebook).

John McCain realizes that he has made one of his greatest mistakes in his life by choosing Sarah Palin as his running mate and, unfortunately, has no option left but stay in a fight or flight situation.

Sarah Palin doesn’t think of what the future holds or conveys about the consequences of her actions; messages, remarks, accusations, vague policies and gaffes.

Right now, John McCain and Sarah Palin are trailing because the American people finally realized their rhetoric and the same old gaffes and cheap political tactics that put John McCain in the White House for 26 years in the first place.

For McCain and Palin this new wave of technological political change is in their way and find it hard to swallow, especially for John McCain as in the past who used to winning by bickering and throwing stones at his opponent without clarifying his policies to the American people.

I recently watched the documentary that shows John McCain’s failed philosophy and poor judgement that led to economic crisis. Watch the video- http://my.barackobama.com/page/invite/keatingvideo.

Senator Barack Obama, up until now, has never pointed a finger at McCain and Palin to expose McCain’s past economic misjudgement that put millions of Americans at risk by losing their jobs and homes. Despite all the personal attacks made about him he instead chose to continue talking to the American people about the issues that matter the most.
America! You accepted all the advancements in technological changes, why not political changes?

FAWLTY TOWER IN WASHINGTON
Britain’s Ambassador to Washington recently paradoxically admired Barack Obama saying, he is “elegant”, “mesmerizing”, “highly intelligent”, “star quality” and “tough & competitive”.

How in the world then a person of all these virtues will “have less of a track record than any recent president”? This is what the Ambassador wrote back to his British Prime Minister Gordon Brown detailing his inappropriate espionage style letter. It seems that signs of discontent starting to emerge as Obama’s resilience is shinning through McCain’s neighborhood. I think all diplomats should learn from Obama’s intelligent and exuberant approaches to interpersonal relations. Time for change!

YOU DON'T HAVE TO AGREE BUT SPEAK WITH RESPECT

I thought McCain was very arrogant and abusive by playing cheap lying tactics about Obama's credibility and abusing him by saying "he doesn't understand" and "he doesn't know" plus he kept repeating the same thing over and over again by going over his time limit and Jim Lehrer, the moderator, was allowing him for that. Obama was the clear winner despite the fact that Lehrer let McCain have the last word most of the time. Was that fair? Think about that, seriously. What about the debate rules? I hope the American people saw McCain for what he truly is - an old dinosaur with old ideas and abusive debater!!!

He’s completely out of touch. He’s somebody who’s giving tax cuts to the wealthy when it’s the middle class and low income earners who needs tax cuts. Just last week he thought the fundamentals of the economy were strong. So, he doesn’t get it. That’s what he has demonstrated. He’s out of touch. And when you try to use sort of insulting language as he did tonight it doesn’t really appeal to voters who are looking for a positive solution to their own lives and the struggles that they’re going through. McCain's language is "insulting" when he says that Obama “doesn't understand” in all his speech.

Obama conducted himself with dignity and respect, and Americans appreciate that kind of concerned forthrightness. You can see from the picture how warm and accepting, welcoming and sincere Obama is. That just qualifies Obama’s comment about McCain when he said respectfully, "It's not because John McCain doesn't care, it's because John McCain doesn't get it."

On the contrary, Obama was respecting him by agreeing with what McCain was saying. So, be warned, McCain was playing cheap and old abusive tricks trying to score points by criticizing his rival rather than getting to the specifics and what he can do as a President. I was impressed with Obama. He presented a platform of change, discussed the issues well and showed a plan. McCain certainly did not show any real platform of change and just profiled his experience of 26 years in office which led us to no where but economic disaster and an unqualified war that wasted American lives.

YOU DON'T HAVE TO AGREE BUT SPEAK WITH RESPECT

OBAMA IS CREATING GOOD KARMA

Come on America! This is wake-up call! McCain’s smart tactics to pick a woman of no substance and credentials is only to cover his weakness and downfall to gain vote against his rival for not picking a woman as his running mate. It is a vote getter trick!( http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,,24271327-5012748,00.html )

A RAY OF HOPE
McCain is a four-term Arizona senator, where has he been? What has he done all those years? Just support the Bills and changes that are presented by the Bush administration?
All the economic fall out now is a perfect example for the McCain’s term sluggish administration.
On the other hand, Obama is only a first-term senator from Illinois and records show that he has tremendously contributed so much to his Democratic party and in doing so he excelled in his KPI’s to run for the highest office in the land. Obama lamented Republican policies over eight years that he said "encouraged outsized bonuses to CEOs while ignoring middle-class Americans" and said: "Instead of prosperity trickling down, the pain has trickled up — from the struggles of hardworking Americans on Main Street to the largest firms of Wall Street."
Obama generally supports stronger consumer protections, better regulatory oversight and more government intervention, while McCain broadly prefers a market system of less federal involvement and red tape.
Obama seeks to cut into inequality between rich and poor by raising taxes on the wealthiest Americans and give breaks to the middle class and lower-income people.
Obama chastised McCain by saying: "It's not that I think John McCain doesn't care what's going on in the lives of most Americans. I just think he doesn't know. He doesn't get what's happening between the mountains in Sedona where he lives and the corridors of power where he works." That’s just a legitimate and honest assessment of McCain’s, three degrees of disaster, pure ignorance, poor judgement and pathetic economic mismanagement.

MCCAIN’S RANK OF TREACHERY
John McCain owns more houses than he can count and his wife wears $300,000 earrings. McCain divorced his first wife (after he cheated on her) to marry Cindy who was wealthy. Prior to that he was pretty much a loser. He eventually graduated, despite some difficulties near the bottom of his class and was a cocky, but bad, bad pilot in the Vietnam war leading to his plane getting shot down and him getting captured. This was the fifth plane McCain had lost in his short military career (and he only saw 20 hours of combat during the Vietnam war).
Further, McCain actually cooperated with the Vietnamese and provided them with information in exchange for medical care (not saying I blame him given his life was at stake, but merely stating what happened).
It makes you wonder whether John McCain is a real life instance of the Manchurian Candidate.
Barack Obama, on the other hand, was raised by a single white mom who needed food stamps. He worked hard, graduated from one of the highest Universities in the land, Harvard, and overcame tremendous odds and hardles to get where he is today. Phew! These are not opinions but prooven facts. To even think that he is an elitist is the biggest farce in the world.

A ray of sunshine is gradually beaming rainbows of hope for America and the rest of the world because OBAMA IS CREATING GOOD KARMA. Obama will bring audacity of hope to all. Read more very interesting comment on (www.abugidainfo.com/?p=6027 ).

BOOK OF LIES AND DECEIT
Jerome Corsi just published a new book full of lies and deceit. Sounds like the writers from The National Enquirer. This is nothing but another stint & sensational writing full of lies to arouse people more interested to read expecting what will happen next on fictional stories that never existed and to anyone’s demise nothing will happen at all. People are so attracted to bewildering stories they will continue to buy such stirring and dramatized stories of newspapers, magazines, and books so forth.
Obviously, this writer chose a good time and opportunity to make money regardless of his strong support for both parties and making evil effort to undermine Obama’s credibility. No fat chance, Pal. You can make the money but you can’t make the man the way you think.
Faithfully

What is it, Racism, Sexism, or Everything?

I am commenting on an unnecessary opinion Robyn Riley, from Heraldsun Australian newspaper, (www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,,23415573-5000112,00.html#submit-feedback.) has made against Richard Williams regarding the racist allegations, she assumed, he has made on behalf of his two professional, remarkable, tennis players, Venus and Serena. His perfectly brilliant comments are the deep rooted grassroots racism that has made not only his life difficult, the lives of every black in the world.
She failed to grasp the weight of his comments that they are neither ego nor delusional. As far as I know he is a perfectly healthy and caring father who has observed what has been happening to his tennis wonders regardless of the wealth they have gained from playing tennis, endorsements and their personal motivation to get in to the industry dominated by white fashionistas.
She needs to wake up to her conscience unless she perfectly denies that racism never existed and does not exist.

Australia is long way from accepting blacks into their community. The government’s intention to take in minute percentages of refugees from Africa comparing to other European countries is a perfect example of modern day hypocrisy and they are taking them because they are pressured by an international community and humane organisations. In the new millennium Australia still continues to show an implicit form of racism. ( www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,,24416160-661,00.html )
In case you haven’t noticed if you watch the news and sports on TV or read Australian newspapers, they are only showing or commenting on white winners, be it Australian or other, in the tennis or any sport competitions.

On any of the Australian media including SBS, which used to be the media outlet for ethnic communities, Barack Obama the Illinois Senator who is the American Democratic Presidential, hopeful, nominee, is hardly mentioned on the news, however briefly, except when there is negative news against his name while the rivals, John McCain or Hillary Clinton, names come up about hundred times if they managed to score a good point even if it doesn’t make any differences at all. This is an indirect racism and hypocrisy purposely trying to sabotage and suppress reports in the media for the promotion, advancement of black entrepreneurs and empowerment of power and prestige.

It is a perfect example of modern day racism that still bothers our white community unable to accept black advancements in all areas of achievements. Is it just pure sexism, racism or combination of everything? How many blacks suffer from the effect of racism in finding employment? (www.theage.com.au/national/hope-is-alive-despite-the-knockbacks-20080731-3nzq.html ) (www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,,24195608-2862,00.html ) It is so implicit and cruel even the most educated end up driving taxis and working in factories to support their families. The organizers of Wimbledon are at shame about the game for playing Venus out of the appropriate court she deserves as a defending champion.

The Australian media reports or writes very little if any on the Williams sisters. Always reflect at their lowest of lowest form, especially, channel 9 for not showing the women’s, Williams’s sisters, final when it was clearly indicated on the weekly TV programs. What about if the final was not all in the black? The Newspaper media pulls off sexism with infinitely greater pledge. What a dull and infantile article they write, sometimes. Hey, I say to you, crawl out of the Stone Age and into the 21st century. It’s time for change.
The Williams sister’s game has many strengths and even the most blue-collar of tennis fans could see that. It is so sickening to see the newspaper Medias are also biased that they hardly write about black sports' achievements.

I for one am looking forward to seeing the sisters rewind time and take us back to a great time in tennis. This year's Wimbledon has made for quite a good story. It's always interesting to see two sisters face off in a final, especially when they have such differing on court personas. I would much rather watch them than watch someone like Federer, who has got the game but no on court persona whatsoever and so boring with no charisma. At least Nadal helps to keep things interesting though.

Also you should remember that because the sisters have been equally impressive in the doubles competition you failed to show it.
Wimbledon refuses to give equal pay to female athletes. In a world where inequality between the sexes still exists, it is thus very important for the All England Club to send out the message that: Women are just as capable of making the same achievements as their male counterparts. No one should be discriminated in any ways for something they have no control of.

The talk about Venus and Serena spending times outside tennis has been going on for so long that it is becoming tiresome to hear. For one, it is their lives. Unlike some tennis players who struggle to go past the first couple of rounds of a grand slam, despite the fact that these players have almost no life outside tennis, the Williams sisters have managed to accomplish so much while wining a combination of 14 grand slams. With results like that, who can question that they are not "Full time Professionals"? And as outsiders, we do not have the right to judge the way they choose to live their lives. After all, if an actor can write books, why can't a tennis player design clothes?
I think the media and everyone should wake up to their conscience that the time for change has come. Face up to the reality, tolerate and accept black people's achievements, enough is enough, how long can you go on dominating your fellow human beings.

We need media vigilance against racism’s permanence, its modern implicitness and its insidiousness. Racism will always be with us in a more implicit manner than past treatment of aborigines and South Africa’s former apartheid policy and African-American segregation calamity. The responsibility is more accentuated for policy makers, political and community leaders, educators, religious groups, the mass media and the police, as they attempted to steer the community to moral, empathetic and humane ends. It is a social tragedy that this inhumane treatment still exists in today’s society. Further reading ( www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,,24035840-2862,00.html ).

So I say to my dear Robyn, you need to further educate yourself about the predicament of racism before engaging your brain in this very sensitive and grassroots domination by white population. You need to liberate yourself and reflect your ideology in a way that is acceptable and enlightening to others. Don’t do unto others, what youth don’t want others to do unto youth.

In good spirits,
Simeneh

SAY NO TO RACISM

Where is the mantra of "ALL PEOPLE ARE CREATED EQUAL?"

It is time for big change for mankind. Let's FACE reality.

In good spirits,

Simeneh

WE ALL ARE ETHIOPIANS

As a true blue Ethiopian, and a person of the Ethiopian Diaspora, it upsets me to see our people, all Ethiopians, keep steering for our individual differences instead of appreciating and coming together for our collective enrichment. I don't know about you, but hollering about our ethnic culture, trying to earn distinction as Gondere,Menze, Amhara, Tigre, Oromo, Guragie or ya addisabba lij, bragging about our ethnic superiority, to one another, has not earned us one break in life. We all, some of us, work like everyone else to make ends meet, if I missed a social club that offers benefits of being of a "special" ethnicity or culture, please someone let me know. Assuming that there is no such club, why then do we constantly go out of our way to elevate our egos at the expense of other Ethiopian ethnics.

While the unfortunate many are living in impoverished states of Ethiopia: Tigray, Oromia, Amhara, Harare, etc., the blessed minority of us, whether in Australia or elsewhere, are obsessed about our ethnic individualism instead of coming together to revive our respected country. We have been blessed with the gifts of intellect and ambition necessary to advance our cause; instead we use these gifts to attack each other. Trust me, you are not helping out the average Ethiopian by constantly disparaging your supposed enemy; the only thing you are doing is enabling the power hungry government and individuals who uses these differences to enrich themselves at the cost of other people.

It's easy to attack someone in the abstract, to denigrate a very weak individual, but next time you feel like uttering a word of hatred, regardless of your nationality or ethnicity, look at the ethnic, Ethiopian, woman in the store with two kids who did nothing to you, your words are aimed at her the same as they are at your supposed enemy.
Look at the, ethnic, Ethiopian, man who is working midnight shift driving taxis or trams or buses or working in the factory, trying to put his children in college, your words of hostility are wedged at him the same way they are wedged at your weak opponent.
Look at the, ethnic, Ethiopian child who is trying hard to attain the Australian dream, your word of contempt target her/him as much as it targets some powerless challenger.

We all know that there have been historical injustices and that no one ethnics’ hands come out totally clean, but how many generations we have to fight the same battles before we call a ceasefire. We should not be captivated by the sins of our fathers or the bitterness of past generations. The hurtful venom that is discharged in the name of ethnic pride is nothing but empty rhetoric that diminishes our collective aspirations and dreams.
The fingers of the hand are weak, you can’t clap with one hand, nor can a thumb by itself build a house, working together, they can move mountains, clenched they become a powerful force to protect our shared rights.

Imagine if we are united together in Australia to advocate for policies that advance our community and collective interests instead of denigrating each other’s achievements and personal journeys in life.

A perfect example would be, as my Ethiopian-Australian friends would certainly acknowledge, that they collectively supported my strong commitment and determination to establish the first Ethiopian Community Association in Victoria in 1985.
From there on, we strengthened our unity and established the first African Soccer Club comprised of various Ethiopian ethinc groups and Africans playing soccer match competitions every Sunday in the Amateur Soccer League of Victoria. Read more: https://timeforchangesociety.blogspot.com/2012/11/the-commencing-of-african-soccer-clubs.html

Why it all fall apart? What caused all the divisions? We need to understand our failings and learn from it, if we have to make a democratic community respecting our diversity which was my basic principles to form a community that entails all Ethiopians irrespective of our differences.
It is a very disenchanting story to see the downfall, why we all allow or agreed to disengage our communal and fraternal pursuit for enjoyment of life by creating divisions amongst ourselves. We should appreciate those who have helped us to succeed in our personal and business achievements.

My urge is, it is never too late, to create a dialogue that can filter our differences and unite our objectives to create an atmosphere of friendship, whether in Ethiopia or elsewhere, as we are people of diverse cultures living in an environment of democracy, prosperity, tolerance, mutual respect and harmony under the supremacy of Law and Justice.

After all, we have more in common than we have that sets us apart. The way forward for Ethiopians is not through ethnic extraordinarily, rather it is through social and economical collectivism, and we have to enter into a new age of a post-ethnic philosophy.
Think about the impact of our unity wherever we are and the effect it can have is even greater back in Ethiopia.
We should never forget the power of Unity: "United we stand, divided we fall. Let us not split into factions which must destroy that union upon which our existence hangs."

Next time you want to point a finger in the air to brag about being "number one", just remember that the finger you point upwards will not do anything to build or protect the very ethnic you are so proud of.
Collectively we are powerful; individually we are always going to be impotent, letting others exploit our minds, resources and historical wealth while we stand apart bragging about our ancestors and past accolades.

Watching Barack Obama's historic speech about race and its omnipresence in the lives of all Americans, I was inspired by his honesty and his tedious assessment of our collective and individual deeds that perpetuate and divide one community against another. It was this powerful moment that led me to some profound thought and how my own actions perpetuate the intangible yet real walls that separate neighbor from neighbor, co-worker from co-worker and in some instances a friend from a friend.
I feel I am reinvigorated and ready to strengthen the spirit of my community which I always believed; we are many, united as one.

The experience that constructs my life narrative is that of being an Ethiopian and an African-Australian. Sometimes I feel blessed because I have a connection to my culture; at other times, I feel as though I walk an invisible line, wavering between my Ethiopian culture and my African-Australian culture.
It is this double life, this distinction between two cultures that challenges the notion that I have transcended the divide between the African-Australian culture and my Ethiopian culture.

The racial divide that Barack Obama spoke about is not contained within the quarters of black and white Americans; it is an undercurrent that exists within people of the same color and, in some cases, of the same country. It reaches out beyond black and white, extending the reaches of division on tiny basis of dark and light, African and African-American. The same goes here in Australia; the divisions are so vivid, between different African-Australians and amongst Ethiopians.
It is hypocrisy, if we believe in the grassroots mainstream of multiculturalism in Australia, when we don’t even acknowledge our own long standing diversity that have lived and fought together to preserve our country’s freedom to the present.

I assumed that my experience walking the line between my Ethiopian and African-Australian identities had cautioned this divisive mindset. I figured that I was enlightened, that I transcended the ethnic divides simply because I am a sincere friend of many cultures, Ethiopians, Australians, African-Australians and those from countries in almost every continent.
To one degree or another, we are all guilty of the practices that kept us divided; the very victims of discrimination can often be its perpetrators. The hatred that has taken centuries to fester claims as victims those who preach it and those who are its target.
Discrimination does not reside in the narrow confines of black and white; it permeates all societies, the impacts of which are felt across racial and ethnic lines.

Therefore, for us, all Ethiopians, who seek to see a united Ethiopia where equality, prosperity, social justice and harmony in diversity would be and inherent features, this is a great opportunity. I think time has once again presented us with an opportunity to see a room for commonalities in difference and toward to establishing trust for united action against the struggle for power among parties everywhere and dictators in Ethiopia.

I love my Ethiopian heritage, I love my African-Australian experience, and I love my Australian journey; however, my own journey towards true inclusion and unity is far from attained. In our own ways, we all have our faults and strengths, which contribute, to the divisions and unity that exists between our communities.
Even if we disagree on political matters and ideologies, whatever parties we may engage in, members of any social gatherings, different ethnic communities, we should always exercise the enticing power of mutual respect between us.

Nonetheless, we all are Ethiopians. In general, our failings do not define us, that we are not still, and that we can grow beyond the walls that have defined our experiences to attain the true meaning of unity; to achieve the essence of diversity, out of many united fronts, is like Menelik’s army triumphant in the face of adversity.

In good spirits

SELF REVELATION

I treat and respect all people with my solid course of action, mind over matter, if they’re not likewise, I don’t mind & they don’t matter.

I pay my indelible gratitude to all the people that I have been in contact with, past and present, friends and families, regardless of their academic standing or status, who and what they are. As a result, I have gained a great deal of knowledge and extensive experiences dealing with the downtrodden and my intentions are not to use over anyone, but to share it with everyone.

We all want to see ourselves being successful in everything we do. However, we’ve to be ready to walk thru the rough roads that take us to success. Reaching the heights of success needs hard work, determination, willingness to change and keep on going.

When we see people who are at the top of their achievements, we only see their success. What we often forgot to see are the efforts they put in, the disappointments they faced and those hard moments when they felt like giving up. No matter how bumpy the road I’ve travelled was, I never gave up. I kept on walking thru that rough path even though I fell so many times. At times I was tired and exhausted, but I didn’t give up on my dreams. I was left alone but found my own company, when no one comforted me, never doubted myself when no one encouraged me.

Therefore, no matter how rough the road might seem, believe in yourself as I’ve and have faith in your hunches as I did. Keep walking with patience and trust as I’ve done, you’ll eventually get there.

I know some experiences had made me so delirious and negative but generally made me combat so many things that I didn’t like about me. I came to a point where I questioned my despair. What’s the point of being miserable if someone less fortunate, with no arms legs, eyesight, deaf…., than me can find joy? I noticed I go thru life wanting to be recognized, accepted, trying to please others and wanting to be someone. Finally, I discovered this is an ongoing pain that I’m fighting within myself having the desire to be liked, loved. It’s a rejection I’ve experienced for so long and I’ve not yet forgiven. I’ve realized if I’m not happy with who I’m and what I’ve got; having everything won’t make me happy. After looking at the people with no arms and legs unable to do anything but radiating pleasures of life on the streets, I ask myself, they’ve got nothing, where does that joy come from?

It has been a long time trying to find my lost soul, not knowing it has implicitly lived within me quietly for so long. I wasn’t the real person of the real identity everyone would think I ought to be. However, I have lived and felt, I must admit, like nobody without modestly revealing my true identity. Nevertheless, at the time, I was accepted in the society consequently and I have enjoyed the new hype being in the limelight by acting so immensely.

I created my false self with no intention of staying that way for so long and I never wanted to be somebody else. Sometimes circumstances force us to succumb to live up to the pressures of social conditions and that of ourselves livelihood. It all started in the late 70’s, after I left my country, when overseas people couldn’t say my name: Simeneh, so they started calling me Simon: ‘Simon Templar’. They associated my gathering pleasing personality with the timely star of the 60’s movie ‘Simon Templar’, a spy thriller television series known as ‘The Saint’. They gave me their preferences and I went along to fit in, gain status, the prospect of maybe better jobs and all the benefits of superficial social promotion in all the foreign countries I’ve travelled to. However, I was nothing like The Saint or the actor, just a coincidence of popularity of the sitcom & comic actor’s name at the period of showing movie.

                                 Simon in Athens                                            

I was and am always proud of who and what I was and where I came from till, I was faced with the probability and dilemma of trading my true identity for the purpose of social classification and other privileges to camouflage myself as a defense mechanism to survive, thrive and be alive exploiting all the superficial approaches.

Finally, as I got older and wiser, I realized that there was quite a gap between who I really was and my identity that I’ve presented to the world. I would like to unravel further this chapter of my life by telling you the evolving of my true story.

It all started when I wanted to be able to gain everything that I’ve ever wanted by living two different lives. Growing up, I had no cultural guidance to be myself with everything I did, be confident and open. It was never too late to try to spend less time to be a different person and used more time to be proud of who I’m. I no longer wanted to be trapped by the superficial self-characterization. I realized in an instant that I had distanced myself from my innate intelligence. I closed my eyes and put all of my attentions on it. I started to admit who I’d been, what I’d been hiding, why I’d been doing so and how unhappy I was. I began to surrender some aspects of myself to a greater mind. I then reminded myself of who I no longer wanted to be. I decided how I no longer wanted to live based on that different personality. I observed my unconscious behaviors, thoughts and feelings that reinforced my old beliefs and reviewed them until they became familiar to me. I thought about who I did want to be by reclaiming a new habit that will form my new personality.

Therefore, I retreated from my current lifestyles for some time. My friends and known ones thought I was losing my mind. In fact, I was losing my old mind, the way they never expected, in order to have a new mind with new habits. I was no longer living an ideal the world wanted, but one for myself. I didn’t want to see anyone again until I transformed myself and living every step of my examples that I was preaching. I needed to take timeout to make a true human revolution in my life and wanted to have joy from within and not from outside of me. It’s not as easy as it sounds having the same old friends and habits around and trying to assert a complete personal change.

Although my transformation wasn’t immediate, I wasn’t perturbed and feared anything that was happening around me during my long but steady journey toward a new personal change. I made some necessary changes to commit myself to exercises everyday carefully observing at my unwanted emotions one by one and I began abandoning and undoing every habit I’ve practiced along the way. I also made a gigantic decision to become vegetarian, absolutely restrained myself from drinking and as a result evaded seeing my friends indefinitely without prior notice and engaging in any alcohol inducing social get-togethers. I started meditative processes of unlearning my old habits and creating new ones by intentionally breaking the old habits and dismantling my old identity. That’s when I began to feel joyful soon after. I became at peace with myself and turn out to be happier after realizing & maintaining my predicament is nothing to do with anyone or anything outside of me.

Simon in Melbourne

Today, I make time to meditate and do yoga every morning to sustain my new habits, stay focused on my everyday exercises of gym workouts, playing tennis, cycling, walking with our dog, state of just being and never to fall backward, again.

Honestly, it has all been a self-help advantage with least possible acceptance and I have no regrets about my past witty or pity actions because I was young and on my journey of social and lifetime discovery. I have seen, grown up and lived in a society where one ethnic group had to change their names in order to belong to certain groups having no power to change the system and resorting to endure dominations. The stake was so high and the availability of opportunities which would have been otherwise with one’s birthright name if differing from the opposite ruling groups. Having seen and lived through all these social inequalities in my own country and regressing in my distant memory back in my days, obviously, had an effect on my ongoing lifestyle.

Like all kids, I grew up fancying and envying of some other kids’ names from different ethnic backgrounds when I was in school not because of whatever was going on, little did I know, but because their names sounded cute and good different.

Like every parent, my loving parents have given me the name exclusively associated with their elation, love and belonging not knowing the future consequences that the name will remain my authentic identity plate for life.

However, this change of names phenomenon is epidemic, and I finally came to know and recognize some derogatory incidents behind it. Most people change their birthright names for all sorts of reasons primarily for acceptance, to fit in, self-gratifications, enculturation, personal preferences and to name a few. Although, I’ve grown up in the Amhara racial background, totally enculturated, I lost the Oromo language I was born to and grew up with after I moved to the city and starting school where everything was taught in Amharic (the national language of the ruling elites). Like everyone else who has experienced this same scenario, my racial upbringing is an Ethiopian Oromo like all regional states within the country, Texas is in the USA.

Apart from my own back home experiences of name changing predicament, I came to know the widespread manifestations how few people around the world have also altered their birthright names. Also, in case you didn’t know, the following people, among many more, have changed their original names: Reginald Dwight to Elton John, Katheryn Hudson to Katy Perry, John Stephens to John Legend, Maurice Micklewhite to Michael Caine, Jennifer Anastassakis to Aniston, Destiny to Miley Cyrus and to name a few.

Even though there is no guarantee that once kids grow up, they will keep their parental names and beliefs forever. My honest opinion to prospective parents would be, to be cautious before naming their kids regardless of their cultural or religious background. Parents should reflect thoughtfully that just because they like the sound of the name must not be a vital reason to name their kids.

Well, regardless of what will happen in the future with my real name, reaching the peak of my acumen, despite people not liking it, having difficulty to say it or facing fewer opportunities in the future, it is time for change.

What started as a fitting in a wonder built up over years and became my new personality, self-image and identity that I have experienced more or less most of the time needs to change now. Somehow, I didn’t experience my false self all the time, because, thankfully, sometimes I was in touch with my true self, and those experiences, which I tend to think of as peak experiences, served to remind me of who I really was. I sometimes introduce myself with my real Ethiopian name and at times with my false Anglo-Saxon name.
The new status experiences of false Anglo-Saxon name grew kindly. Like I said, partly because of my name Simon association with the 60’s TV series movie ‘Simon Templar’, known as ‘The Saint’, starring Roger Moore (check it on YouTube).

Interestingly, everyone started calling me just that (Simon) in Athens, Greece, my first destination when I left my country, Ethiopia, and the rest is, like they say, history.

SIMON IN ATHENS, 1977

That was then; now my conscience, self-realization and adult life transformation (age of wisdom) won’t allow me to continue doing what I’ve always done. Three decades later I started to wonder and asked myself what has happened to my real birth right name.

I started to feel uncomfortable to introduce myself, with my Anglo-Saxon name, as ‘Simon’ to everyone I met. I also noticed how everyone rolled their eyes refuting it didn’t sound like my authentic Ethiopian given name.
When I saw my false self’s treatment by others, I realised that was how I actually treated myself and it became apparent to me how my troubles began.

I remember, when I was back home in Ethiopia, as I’ve explained earlier, a lot of people of different ethnic groups changed their names in order to get equal opportunities to survive and endure all the frailties of racial differences. So, I wasn’t surprised to do the same thing in an absolutely foreign country & culture to survive, thrive and stay alive as I have subconsciously inherited those mortifications and immoralities like everyone else.
Having done that, up and about till early 90’sand 2000; I became so popular with my new Anglo-Saxon name among friends, workmates, girls and almost everyone I met in general as my easy-going and crowd-pleasing nature also attracted full attention. Every introduction started with a joke of the game Simon says… a fun and challenging game that helps in exercising listening skills. I also had no trouble finding jobs, meeting lasses and making friends by fitting into the culture. No wonder I kept the name for so long. Yes, feels like, “It may seem a good idea at the time”.

 Considering my naiveté as smart move with an aspect of inauthenticity that brought an emptiness which my ego mind couldn’t abide, reclaiming my real name was the only option. Somehow, it automatically filled up my survival of flight or fight feelings with empty and inadequate reactions for some time for sure came at an emotional cost. One can imagine the perseverance of various lacks of psychological effects such as self-confidence, self-esteem, self-worth, self-respect, insecurities, self-doubt, pride, apprehensions, dignity, and to name a few, that I’ve endured as a result of the name changing spectacle. Who can I sue for that? There's no insurance claim either.

We all have our own ways of perceiving things differently. The desire of our hearts, expressed in our own unique ways, always embody essential qualities such as freedom, justice, peace, love and happiness.

We are all seeking wholeness, divinity and enlightenment because those are the aspects of our soul’s nature. The true self, the feeling, is whole and divine.

As I have conscientiously started to experience those important aspects of my true self, I was on the way to discovering and feeling a sense of who I was (am), why I was (am) here and where I was (am) going. This is more exciting, to me, and an important quest of finding myself than anything else I can dream of.

Moreover, if I’m not living the truth, I deny myself the pleasure of an authentic life. Authenticity allows me to drop my habits or/and masks to please everyone and be who I really was (am). Not everyone will like this, but it’s better to be liked for who I really am than loved for whom I’m not. How many people, including you, really know you? Many don’t give themselves a chance, as if they are a bad date they never want to see again because they have no fashion sense.

At the start, I kept regressing back to my old habits, but in time I got better by withdrawing myself temporarily, from friends and activities previously considered favorites, social interactions, for self-actualization at least until I get used to everything, in order to avoid all my old habits. When I know there are other ways of thinking and living that resonate with what my spirit wants not my ego; it’s impossible to live by the status quo, especially, if my conscience scale is getting high. By setting strong positive affirmations and insights daily, I had no choice left but to struggle to overpower my demons, not to surrender to the unhealthy, superficial attitudes of our society’s obsession by status, crowd pleaser ideals and empower myself to stick to my core principles that will suit my personalities in helping me to be myself and live peacefully without being swayed by transient worldly conundrums.

In order to live a life full of great relationships with my wonderful partner, my family, friends and everyone, perfect health, of course my conscience and success in all my endeavors, I needed to find my equilibrium. It is also imperative to strengthen my connection to all aspects of my true self. And it is simple; all I need is the courage to face the truth. Believing that only the truth can set me free, honestly riding that rocket ship into my inner space is the only way to reveal the wonder and beauty of who I was (am). When I rise above my experiences and beliefs and take responsibility for having created my current life’s situations, not blaming someone or something else, I am ready to find the true self and heal. I am already feeling better having the courage, to face the music now, by opening up the door for others with the same fate addressing my bumpy rides of experiences so far.

Therefore, I made up my mind to find the real me and use my birthright name without hesitation.

The identity I have inherited did not fit with my heritage, values, persona, beliefs and what I preach. So, it is time for me to practice everything I was (am) preaching – being authentic self and truthful.

I can’t tell you how relieved and comfortable I am since I have found me and started introducing my old soul, but new me to everyone I met. Therefore, I want everyone to know that from today on ward, only my correct name or birthright name, Simeneh must be used.

 Marcus Garvey, a Jamaican born Black Nationalist and leader of the Pan-Africanism movement, which sought to unify and connect people of African descent worldwide said, “A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots”.

I stopped trying to be accepted, fit into people’s penchants and found my woke, grit and resilience to accept myself principally.

Seriously, if everyone can say Schwarzenegger, certainly, they can “Say my name”, hey, sing it, correctly with little trouble. Simeneh, Simeneh, Simeneh… Whatever happens, I absolutely won’t be back! Please, try saying it now!

For those who still use “Simon” to call me for whatever the reason on their mind, I say to them, give it up, try it up & live it up. But if you didn't know the changes or wanna create conversations, welcome to say it.

Recently, a true anecdote, I introduced myself to someone with my real name and after his first attempt; he said to me, do you mind if I call you Sam? I just laughed my head off to tears and explained the story to him. That's right, not again! And I said to him, it's ok if you can’t say or remember it, but don’t call me Sam. Explaining to him, that’s how this whole enigma of my name change started in the first place.

So, having read who I was, who I’m now, and the challenges I’ve been through in making personal transformations, it’s time to reassess where your own life’s blueprint stands and move yourself to a new consciousness site. You probably may have done something similar in your life’s journey thus far. You must become very clear about what you’re doing, how you’re thinking, how you’re living, how you’re feeling and how you’re being… to the point that it isn’t you and you don’t want to be it any longer.

First and foremost, to my families back home in Ethiopia and in Australia who stood by my made-up name over the years, I thank you for your patience and understanding. You knew I have never meant to be someone else. It’s all been nothing, but fun filled appeal, above all self-gratification to survive & thrive in the life dominated by status, the rich and famous society where respect and appreciation is prejudiced by the who is who culture. Like everyone else, I just wanted to live without being judged by my name, color of my skin, race, nationality or status anymore. Despite my quest to fit in, for self-fulfillment, for pursuit of happiness, and for the inconveniences and painful conditions I have inflicted upon everyone in their daily lives by imitating me, I say to them, from the bottom of my heart, I am sorry.

To all my friends in Europe, where it all initiated as a joke and in America where I only used it scarcely, you must know that it has all been nothing but fun, part of growing up, naïveté, reflection of happy times and all of the above sermons; however, if you have been disappointed in my actions to change my name, I am truly sorry.

To all my friends in Australia, my community members and all other friends who knew me for what & who I was and where I came from, if you were disappointed, I say to you with all my heart, I am sorry.

Above all, we all have to take responsibility for our own actions, although, people in general look up to a role model for good aspirations. As far as I know, I made tremendous contributions to take the center stage to show how to have a good time amid all the daily worries we were facing seeking equal opportunities and adjusting to the mainstream society. I, somehow, inadvertently may have set a bad example in my social interactions and some of my actions may have impacted on some of my friends and colleagues, more or less in good terms, directly or indirectly changing, attempting or anticipated changing their names and lives at one time or another. I can’t express enough that I am really sorry if you’ve assumed so.

I also counsel all my African, Asian and other compatriots who renounce their birthright names in order to gain all the benefits mentioned in here, try to be united in refusing to forsake your names for whatever reason as they (the Westerners and Europeans) wouldn’t change their names with African, Asian or other nation’s names. Therefore, educate yourselves, teach others, never to alter your culture’s names and follow stereotype lifestyles.

                                      IT’S MY INDELIBLE HOPE THAT AFRICANS & ALL OTHERS RECLAIM THEIR BIRTHRIGHT NAMES

It also sounds and looks very odd to see most Africans, Asians and other nationalities with English or Anglo-Saxon names, but we never see other Westerners or Europeans with African, Asian or other nation’s names.

All the reasons, well at least some, are plainly explained in my personal life experiences why my name change was circumstantial back then and vastly accepted. It is an unbelievably an eye rolling narrative today, if your name doesn’t match your racial heritage.

Even some similar racial background individuals are communicating with foreign languages, making it challenging to understand for some and hard to exactly express their true feelings and intentions correctly, let alone in their own lingos. It’s an unfortunate that I don’t anticipate to exclude myself from this dilemma and sympathize with those who genuinely argue that they find it easier to speak and write in English, or any other language they feel comfortable with, not as bigheadedness or yearning for self-pride (excuse my language), as some might think, but their mother tongue has slowly slipped away as they gradually got enculturated.

My strong point here is, first and foremost, we should always try our best to communicate, express our intentions and deliberations in the languages we’re born with without feeling obligated, embarrassed, self-conscious or inadequate and proceed to the second best languages we find easier to explain our deliberations. No one should be pressured to express or write in other languages that are foreign to them.

Remember, English is a language like any other but not an ability or knowledge and should not to be used as a measure of one’s intelligence.

When Obama was told by his white surroundings during the election to use an English name called “Barry”, he refused, and let it be known that he is proud of his birthright heritage and refused to sell out to please anyone or gain status. He also goes to say, at his presidential candidacy dinner, “Many of you know that I got my name, Barack, from my father. What you may not know, Barack is actually Swahili for ‘That One’”. The point he was making here was also a rebuttal that his counterpart, former contender, John McCain, called him ‘That One’ during their presidential rally speech. He continued, “And I got my middle name, Hussein, from somebody who obviously didn’t think I’d ever run for president.”

If it is the name that matters, the Arabs and white people would have used the names of Africans when they first came in contact with Africans during their expeditions and explorations days.

That was then; it’s time for collective consciousness to take its course which will allow us to see everyone as one entity irrespective of their names and the languages they speak or use and stop pressuring anyone to change either.

Every day, I see and recognize that our own beliefs, attitudes and deliberations about life play as big a part in the creation of our collective consciousness as anyone else’s. We all are part of that journey.

“A mind stretched to a new idea never shrinks back to its original dimensions.” –Oliver Wendell Holmes

My final word to all my fellow brothers, sisters, sons and daughters in the diaspora, what may seem a good idea and fun, changing your names can be a complicated and deceitful manner on your long journey in life by concealing your authenticity. I say to you, forget whatever you’ve called yourselves in the past or now, realize all the morals, review all your options to live a real life and stay with your true identity, heritage, values and birthright name or forename that matches not only your persona, most importantly, your true origin as a whole.

Faithfully yours, 

The story continues: https://timeforchangesociety.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-start-end-of-my-journey-downunder.html