As usual, you nail it.

I worry about a backlash of “Well he could do it, its your own fault if you can’t” to minorities in this country who do not even have half a level playing field.

Couple anecdotes: My 9 yr old came home Nov 5th, upset a kid next to him told him “He hopes someone kills Obama so McCain could be president.” My son fired back, (yeah hes 9, but he’s MY kid, dig) “Thats not the chain of command, that would make Biden president…”

Anyway, after he told me, I fired off a phone call & email to the school. Come to find out this kid’s Dad is a State Trooper. Yeah, I have been watching my rear view mirror for that chicken to come to roost. Get a Cop’s kid in trouble, you get trouble.

The kid got a talking to, but the hate is still alive in 4th graders even. I explained to my son that silence is complicity, and even if it is hard and you may lose friends you have to stand for something.

2nd post-election anecdote: White privilege alive and still totally clueless they even do it…

Before we opened yesterday, I was out front talking with one of the cooks. He speaks halfway decent english, I speak no spanish, but we manage to always chat a little. (Yeah, most of the front of the house is white, most of the cooks Latino…sigh…)

Anyway, in walks a Fed Ex guy with a small package. He brushes right by my friend over to where I am washing tables with my hands in a water bucket. “Sign here.”

I glared at him and said, “He can do it! What the Fuck?” He looked incredulous, and the cook signed it, took the package, smiling.

When the idiot walked out, he looked at me quizzically.

(he speaks pretty good english, and understands more, yet I am totally single-languaged, english… so who’s smarter there? Not me)

I turned to my friend and said “Can you believe that bastard walked right past you to me, thinking cuz I’m white, I should be the only one trusted to sign? What the fucking fuck? I’ll bet he didn’t even realize it, but he just treated you invisible, fucking white bastard! Brush by a full grown man standing there to a waitress scrubbing tables. I shoulda said you were my boss.” Ok, said is an understatement, I was ranting.

He smiled at me…. and went in the kitchen. I came in after, and all the guys were whipping off in Spanish, I presume talking about it, because they turned to me and smiled with new respect. I wish I were bilingual. I think I made some new friends. Heh.

One of them asked why I did it, and said it was cool because Luis is very sensitive… and I just said that letting people act racist in front of you is being racist, and it pissed me off. They made a couple jokes about my temper and then of course we joked about what else is that hot. I’m a smartass, they already KNOW that much. LOL.

I think the Fed Ex guy hates me though. I can live with that.

My point?

Obama is a symbol, but it is the People who must make the change. One at a time. And the ones who must change the most are white people like me.

thanks malicia for the concise and practical ideas and facts and reminder of our part in what needs to be done. what’s exciting about obama, for one thing, is that he seems to believe in a few things and act in a few ways, and come from a background that make petitioning him feel worthwhile.

2)Even if he wants to make a more humane immigration policy, he’s going to have to have a lot of other supporters to make it happen. Those of us lucky enough to have citizenship have to use it in the voting booth and by calling and writing our congressman, senators, governors, state representatives, county commisioners, mayors, city councilmen, school board members. People on the other side make their voice known, and then we have to react. So we need to have our voice heard more often, and first.

and 3)supporting with our money and time the churches who help immigrants, programs that support them and their children whether free health screenings or free English classes, and groups that keep an eye on the justice system with respect to immigrants.

we hope this transition is what will facilitate the mandatory change we have to insist on with vigilance. these are not issues to be bartered with, but be dealt with in a direct manner without compromise. we have to get people out of danger, poor living conditions, out of criminal status, out of jails and prisons. there has to be an end to ice – period. there has to be a release of individuals who are being held for victimless offenses. language, dialog, focus has to be a tool for compassion and a direction that promotes all aspects of health personally and globally. this is a sensitive time that commands action taken with integrity. this should be a time of opportunity, considering obama’s statements made and the unifying effort demonstrated, for this very thing.

we the people are who/what it is going to take, to “get er done”. we have to keep obama accountable, as we have seen what happens when we get complacent with our leaders and where they will take us. government/corporate/world order does not rest and neither can we. we have to make our bid continually with vigilance and mindfulness.

one love people.

i really hope someone in a political power position stands up about it. So many of us are still falling through the cracks, whether we are “illegal immigrants” (ha-let’s go back to history class, shall we?)–or not.

Don’t get me wrong: I dig Obama and I admire his approach the winning the White House. But being anything besides a political and social pacifist is out of his realm.