Don't you want to be rich?

I was talking with a co-worker about the Presidential election and she decidedly said she supports Mitt Romney in the upcoming election. I was not completely surprised by the support but I was surprised by her reasoning...she believes he will share with us all the secrets for how to become rich like him. WOW! She honestly feels that having a rich president will create an environment in our nation where we all will become rich. People who think like this are allowed to vote? Where was her logic in thinking this? Almost every president we have had has been wealthy. That wealth has not trickled down to me and my bank account proves that fact.

Another co-worker made a profound comment that this lady disregarded...Romney made much of his money by hurting poor people, not by helping pull them up to his level. My comment support this other co-worker's opinions and I added that I have never experienced a wealthy person working to help poor people become wealthy. Neither argument mattered to this lady because her focus was/is that Romney would help us all become rich. Again...I say WOW!

What I have noticed about the anti-Obama people is the fact that they refuse to accept that Obama did anything well...including that bit about Obama getting Osama. As much as I did not like Bush, I acknowledge that following 9/11 he did rise to the occasion of presenting a positive American image. Bush made mistakes and I don't agree with his political stance but I also acknowledge that he did do some things well. The anti-Obama crowd seem to be really angry that he won...legitimately...and that he may win again. I say get over it!

Obama won the last election legitimately. There was no re-count or halting of a re-count. There was no error in counting and the people wanted him to be president. Some may feel he sucks now but I would disagree. I think President Obama did what he could with the mess he inherited. Saying he just blames Bush is short-sighted. All presidents inherit the good and bad from the previous president. I would say Bush inherited some pretty good stuff from Clinton, yet, it seems Republicans don't want to slap him with any blame for the mess he passed on to Obama.

Another troubling thing is the decidedly racist twist to many anti-Obama people. If Obama is really that awful, why resort to racist comments to criticize him. Shouldn't his "bad record" be enough, or do anti-Obama people have to remind everyone that Obama is a black guy and generally speaking good white folk in our country don't like black people. Racism is the last resort of uneducated and desperate people...they may also just be racists too.

I am in no way saying Obama is perfect but I DO approve of his job, for the most part. I didn't approve of everything Clinton did and the running joke in the African American community is Clinton was actually the first "black" president. Still, I have to wonder if Obama were a white guy, I bet the only thing he would have to say to win the next election is, "I got Osama."

Is justice for Trayvon blind?

I have been casually watching the Trayvon Martin case and what bits and pieces I know, I find it troubling. While I am automatically drawn to the side of Trayvon, I do want to be impartial in viewing the facts of the case. However, those facts seem murky in some areas, crystal clear in others.

The clear fact is a 17-year-old African American male walking on a public street was shot dead while going home. He was "armed" with Skittles and an iced tea. Trayvon wore a hoodie that obscured his face. Another fact is George Zimmerman is the shooter and claimed self-defense in this matter. He called 9-1-1 before pursuing Trayvon. Zimmerman confronted Trayvon and I believe that's where the story gets murky. What happened after Trayvon turned and said, "Why are you following me?"

As an African American female and mother to an African American son, I have a lot of sympathy for the mother of Trayvon. I think I have so much sympathy that I am certain I could not serve on a jury if Zimmerman went to trial. However, the bottom line is...there would be no self-defense claim if Zimmerman had stayed in his home. Why is it self-defense for a person who pursued another and not self-defense for a person to confront a pursuer? If we put race, physical size, etc., aside and just ask ourselves the question, "Would I feel threatened walking on a dark street and a man began following me?" I know I would. Turning to confront that person may be the only option to some, running may be the option for others but my gut tells me Zimmerman would have chased. After all, the 9-1-1 operator told Zimmerman not to follow Trayvon and he did that anyway. If Trayvon ran, I am sure Zimmerman would have chased. Honestly, I don't know if running actually happened or not but the fact is...Trayvon is dead and Zimmerman is NOT facing charges of murder.

I have heard stories that there is proof that Trayvon attacked Zimmerman. Again, Zimmerman was following him and I bet Trayvon felt threatened. If Trayvon attacked Zimmerman and knocked him to the ground, again, Trayvon most likely felt threatened and last time I heard a few punches and getting knocked down does not merit the death penalty. Add the twist of race to this and it takes me back to something personal I experienced in the past few weeks...justice is anything BUT blind.

Looking at the photos of both Trayvon and George, many assumptions have been made. African American males are scary and dangerous...especially when you can't see that person's face. People who appear to be white get automatic trust and many other benefits simply from race. It is not fair, it is obviously wrong but it is a fact of life in this world. We may never know what really happened that night but right now I think Trayvon is not getting justice. If George were black and Trayvon were white, I suspect George would be in jail right now...but I'm just making a guess.