orichalcum: (Obama)
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posted by [personal profile] orichalcum at 10:38pm on 20/10/2008
Months ago, it was suggested that if Obama didn't win, race riots would break out in urban cities like Chicago and L.A.

I can't say that won't happen. It's an awful thing to see hope die.

But the folks in the inner cities aren't the ones currently slashing tires at Obama rallies in North Carolina, or trashing the cars of Democrats in line for early voting in Texas, or shooting a bear cub and stapling Obama signs on its head and leaving it in the middle of Eastern North Carolina University campus. They aren't the ones issuing death threats to people trying to register voters, or assaulting the media at campaign events.

John McCain and Sarah Palin aren't responsible for everything a few of their supporters do, by any means. And I'd like to also take a moment to virtually thank the Christian and Muslim Republicans at a McCain rally today who drove people who were shouting anti-Muslim slogans out of the rally, asking, quite reasonably, "Do you want us to lose?"

But I do think, like John Lewis, that McCain and Palin have created an atmosphere where supporters are encouraged to view Obama not as a political opponent but as The Enemy and the Other, someone against whose supporters vicious, violent tactics are warranted.

And I'm suddenly scared that if the election doesn't go their way on November 4th, there may be a bunch of people who aren't willingly to accept peacefully a black man as President who they falsely believe to be a socialist Muslim terrorist. And I really hope that, in that case, we can all come together as a country and quash any hints of violence, from either side.

In support of the truth and the power of reason and logic, go play Truth Invaders, a Fajitas fun political game I helped write!
Mood:: 'scared' scared
There are 8 comments on this entry. (Reply.)
 
posted by [identity profile] digitalemur.livejournal.com at 01:02pm on 21/10/2008
I would like to read news reports about the incidents you cite here, just to know more about them. Could you link to a few, or tell me where you got the reports, please? I'll do some searching on my own too.
 
posted by [identity profile] orichalcum.livejournal.com at 05:06pm on 21/10/2008
Gladly; I didn't link to them directly partially because the bear one has a picture, and, um, it's disturbing.

Tire slashing: http://www.wral.com/news/state/story/3771147/
Voters being harassed: http://www.washingtontimes.com/weblogs/bellantoni/2008/Oct/20/mccain-supporters-call-early-voters-ch/
Bear cub: http://citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200881020067 (found a link w/o a picture)
 
posted by [identity profile] digitalemur.livejournal.com at 06:33pm on 21/10/2008
Really, I'd rather have news reports about the events and be warned of a disturbing picture than not have a link at all. So you gave me exactly what I wanted, and I thank you!
 
posted by [identity profile] digitalemur.livejournal.com at 06:54pm on 21/10/2008
Hmm. Having now read all three articles, I have to say that the early voters being harassed angers me the most. And it was in overage from the Washington TIMES! That's just ugly, and reminds me of the bad old days of intimidation of black voters in the South. And I'm concerned it's going to get worse in the next two weeks.

I'm sad for the bear cub, but that was a dumbass stunt and it's going to disgust a lot of people, and not particularly help the McCain campaign at all for having happened-- probably the opposite, given that ethical and lawful hunters will be pissed by it. It's not illegal in NC to take a 75 lb cub, but the point is to hunt large trophy bear and leave the young ones alone, so it was a wasteful and disrespectful kill even before they made a dumb stunt out of it.

I'm not thrilled by the tire slashing, either, but that, sadly, is a classic form of intimidation familiar to union members everywhere, and one that we all live under the threat of at some point or another, so I'm somewhat less afeard of this one, as well.

But really, I shouldn't even bother to rank them, they're all obnoxious and upsetting shenanigans.
 
posted by [identity profile] orichalcum.livejournal.com at 09:33pm on 21/10/2008
It's not so much the killing the bear cub that I especially object to, as leaving it in the middle of a university campus with clear symbolism relating it to Obama. That gets really close to a death threat.

But yeah - harassing voters is just Wrong.

Also, I wrote this last night when I was way tired.
 
posted by [identity profile] marginaleye.livejournal.com at 11:53pm on 21/10/2008
At some point, the rednecks are going to have to realize that they just don't represent a large enough fraction of the population to rule through physical intimidation. In the long run, the demographic trends certainly aren't on their side. Hopefully, they will learn this without getting their sorry asses righteously stomped.
 
posted by [identity profile] meepodeekin.livejournal.com at 03:18pm on 22/10/2008
Ummm, aren't you about 150 years too late with this political message? :) Actually, maybe not, considering the number of confederate flags I see...
 
posted by [identity profile] marginaleye.livejournal.com at 05:16pm on 22/10/2008
Ah, but the rednecks got their sorry asses stomped by Yankees back then. Fellow white guys from a different part of the country. Not quite the same lesson.

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