I Am Back

It's been three weeks since my last entry. In that time a number of activities has occurred. For instance, both political parties held historic and exciting conventions, sadly Hurricane Ike caused havoc throughout the Caribbean and significant areas in the United States, Mayor Kilpatrick of Detroit resigned to relocate to his new home--the state's prison system, Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy, and my beloved Ohio State got whipped by USC. But, one thing remained the same--race polarization.

The polarization that I am talking about concerns the presidential election. The Obama-McCain fight has rekindled American intellectual W.E.B. Du Bois argument, who stated over one hundred years ago that the "problem of the twentieth century would be the color line." Well, it is also the problem in the 21st century. It is clear, that except for a minority of American voters, citizens are supporting presidential candidates on issues of race and to some degree sex.

Yesterday, in Orlando Senator McCain spoke to a Puerto Rican group. The group--heavily Republican and supporter of Governor Palin, McCain's running mate, aggressively voiced their denouncement of Obama and the historic feat of having a female running mate. The point--is that they were and have found an acceptable excuse to vote for/against race. Puerto Rico, like all of the Caribbean were ports of entry for African slaves. Regardless, to what native residents on islands like Puerto Rico, Cuba, or the Dominican Republic may say to promote white or Spanish culture and supremacy--the majority of the people from the 17th century to the present are African-Caribbean or Afro-Latino peoples. However, these dark skinned are the most uneducated, economic strapped, and discriminated. The Whites on the islands are the ones who control and dominant the political, economic and social structure. Thus, if Puerto Ricans in Orlando followed the legacy, demographic, and the traditional cultural values of the island they would favor Obama over McCain's running mate.

On the other side you have African-Americans who are supporting Obama because he is an identifiable Black man. That is, he looks, talks, and lives an African-American life. Ignore the fact that his bloodline bypass "African-Americans" and that it holds White American and continental African blood--he is still seen as "the brother." Both groups, regardless of the reasons has forgotten or ignored the concept that we should choose a president on his/her intellectual prowess, experience, moral integrity, and strength to make concise and pointed decisions.

Yes--I took a hiatus but I returned to a divided nation--The United States. It's good to be back!