The Diversity Projekt
Empowerment for All People of Color
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You have No Clue!
CAUTION: This post contains graphic photos.
I have been following the health care debate, if you want to call it that, and find myself increasingly disturbed and disgusted by the lack of decorum and common sense. While I was quite amused by the ways in which the manipulative and disingenuous ways of the political and religious right were playing themselves out on the national stage, I have grown increasingly alarmed by the dangerous rhetoric that has emerged over the last few days. I would like to believe that the political elements powering this monster are unaware of the inevitable ramifications of going down this road will lead us to. However, I am jaded enough to know that they are keenly aware and even intend for such destructive outcomes. So, I am throwing my commentary into the pot!
I come from the country that actually had concentration camps and gas chambers – Arbeitsdorf, Bergen-Belsen, Berlin-Marzahn, Bretenau, Buchenwald, Dachau, Flossenbuerg, Hinzert, Kauferin/Landsberg, Langentein-Zweiberge, Malchow, Mittlebau-Dora, Neuengamme, Niederhagen, Ohrdurf, Osthofen, Ravensbrueck and Sachsenhausen.
I come from a country where more than 6 million, Jews, blacks, Roma and other ethnic groups were murdered because they looked, believed and acted differently from the desired norm. I come from a country that to this day persecutes people who are different, a country in which the NPD (Nationalist Party Germany aka Neo Nazis) continues to feel empowered to wreak havoc on religious and ethnic minorities. Why shouldn’t they? Our political leaders and law enforcement rarely feel inclined to condemn or curb their actions.
The country I came from did this:
…and this:
ohhh…and this:
Those of you who liken Obama to Hitler and compare this Administration’s attempt to provide all Americans – rich and poor, young and old, white, black, latino, asian, mixed – with access to quality health care, to the policies and “services” provided by the Nazi regime, are reckless, deplorable, and vile!
I try not to write blog posts when I am angry. Experience has taught me that it rarely ends well. But, I am angry and I am going to break this rule tonight. The escalating lunacy leaves me with few other options, at least viable ones that will allow me to sleep at night. Can we even call this insanity a debate? At first the grand standing at town hall meetings seemed predictable, silly, pathetic. It clearly smelled of the beltway machine, not grass roots mobilization. And then came the references to Nazi German, Pol Pot, Stalin and the like. If this weren’t extreme enough, these lunatics begin to show up at town halls armed with semi-automatic weapons. Has the world gone mad?
Yesterday, a woman asked Rep. Frank, a Jew, why he was supporting Obama’s Hitler-esque policies. Not like the semi-automatic fun slinging, hate speech shouting tantrums weren’t enough, but this really does go too far! You wave your bibles and guns but have no sense of decency, propriety, core values, morals, ethics,…common sense! You need to think before you allow for such stupidity to leave your mouth. At least contemplate (if not comprehend) the ramifications of your words and actions. Tens of thousands of Americans are living survivors or descendants of survivors and victims of the Holocaust, the Khmer Rouge, Stalin’s Gulags. You cannot even begin to comprehend the suffering countless human beings endured under these abominable creatures.
I am most disturbed by the lack of condemnation coming from the GOP camp. Their silence, and at times approval, of these fear tactics and lies, will eventually lead to disaster. It is not a question of “if” but “when”! This will not remain an exercise in rhetoric of violence, but will eventually escalate to violent acts. When that happens, the GOP will be to blame! Get your people under control before someone gets hurt, or worse yet, is murdered.
First it’s this:
And this:
Left unchecked, it will turn into this:
and…this:
With that being said, let me tell you a bit about Nazi Germany! Obama doesn’t want to kill grandma, your second cousin twice removed or your dog named Buddy! There are no death panels, abortion mandates, or forced sterilization. I came from a country that did this, got a slap on the wrist and still, without any ramifications, still discriminates against people within its borders who look, believe and act differently from what has been put forth as authentically German.
The right would like to scare everyone into believing that the intent of the Obama Administration is to replicate this. Such notions are abominable and reprehensible! If anything, the right is using chapters out of Hitler’s book – inciting fear, condoning hate speech and violent rhetoric. It isn’t a far leap from this to committing violence against an imaginary and artificially constructed enemy! What other message can be construed from bringing an automatic weapon to President Obama’s town hall meeting?
Now, before the NRA gets bent out of shape – I grew up in a house with guns. My dad is a hunter and has a fairly extensive collection. I support the notion that law abiding citizens (without criminal records) who have a license to carry, have the right to purchase fire arms. I don’t condone their use as a symbolic threat against the President of the United States, or any other human being for that matter. There is a direct connection, in the US and in Germany, between symbolic, verbal and phychological terrorism and the actual performance of a violent act. So, don’t tell me that you are packing heat as a mere exercise of your constitutional right to do so! This is disingenuous at best!
I am going to call this for what it is – Bullshit! This is political terrorism, plain and simple!
I am about to launch a series on hate groups and activities in the US and Germany! Stay tuned, I am far from being done with this!
Mobilize Your Network to Pay it Forward
Not a day goes by without reports of some company (or companies) laying off employees, cutting services or closing down completely. We all know far too many people who are desperately seeking a job or on terrified of being next on the chopping block.
Looking at this morning’s job loss report, there doesn’t seem to be a single industry that has been spared. While some industries are experiencing gentle nudges (nursing/medical, pharma), others are feeling the recession like a ton of bricks.
Financial analysts seem to agree that we haven’t hit bottom. In fact, we still have quite a ways to go. The new Obama Administration and other government officials are trying to put systems in to place to halt the hemorrhage. Yet, the kicks keep on coming!
As a development professional at a public charity, I am concerned. Yet, many direct service agencies are holding steady, while foundations and other non profits are starting to seriously feel the crunch. I feel increasingly helpless, particularly as more friends take their place in the unemployment line.
While I don’t have any concrete solutions to the present, disastrous job market, I know that there is one thing that we can all do…..
….watch out for each other. As the economic forecast worsens, we need to pull together, as a community, to support each other. We should be doing this anyway, but it is particularly vital in this environment.
Some suggestions:
If your company is still hiring, pass along the information. Post it in your blog, on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc., and send an email to your network. We spend so much time building our social networking capacity. Let’s put it to work.
If you have experience in resume and cover letter writing, offer your assistance. A second set of eyes can make a world of difference. I often miss small errors, especially after working on several drafts.
Offer to serve as a reference. You don’t have to have been someones superior in order to provide an effective reference. Collaborations, whether professional or on a volunteer basis, provide you as much insight into an individuals’ work habits, as supervising the individual does.
If you are in a position that allows you to make vendor decisions at your current position – web design, printing, professional development, temporary staffing – make sure to keep people in your network in mind. Pass on the love!
If you are fortunate enough to have a job, consider giving to local direct service agencies – soup kitchens, food banks, homeless shelters, animal rescues, senior centers, etc. If we learned anything from the recent election, it’s that every little bit counts. Your $5 donation can make a tremendous difference in someone’s life.
If your birthday is coming up, encourage your friends to donate to your favorite local charity (fellow blogger, Rosetta Thurman led the pack recently on this brilliant idea).
….and lastly, make sure to take care of yourself – physically, emotionally, spiritually AND financially.
Independent Sector – Closing Plenary Luncheon – “A New Look at Race and Gender in Americ”
Round-table Discussion: Beyond Election 2008: A New Look at Race and Gender in America
Moderator: Kalvin Taketa, IS Board Member and President/CEO, Hawai’i Community Foundation
Panelists:
Randall L. Kennedy, Michael R. Klein Professor of Law, Harvard Law School, Harvard University
Sterling Speirn, President, W.K. Kellogg Foundation
Luz Vega-Marquis, Secretary, Independent Sector and President/CEO Marguerite Casey Foundation
Maria Wilson, President/Founder, The White House ProjektWhile I had limited power, I was able to jot down some thoughts that jumped out at me:
Speirn: “While the glass ceiling was smashed, there are millions trapped in the basement.”
Kennedy: Why is there a “who’d have thunk it” idea that Obama could be elected, that people could have pulled the lever to vote for him.
We need soon however to be thinking about what next” and I hope that we are not so entranced by what happened last week, that we fumble an opportunity to push the agenda for social justice.
Wilson: Two conversations got invoked in this election:
1) race
2) gender
3) class – Obama class upwards and Clinton class downwardsThe changing of the conversation is a major milestone in this country.
“You can’t be what you can’t see.” – What happened all over America, is that there are children from all races and gender that they can be president of the United States.
I know that I cannot celebrate very long, but it is great!
Vega: “The real America showed up at the poles.” In response to the idea that Palin spoke for the “real America.”
The real America finally got included. The fact that she is proud that Latinos voted the right way in this election.
Taketa: Obama as a transcended of all aspects of our population. Is Obama unique?
Kennedy: Obama is an extraordinary politician. Yet, Obama had a hard fought campaign for the Democratic nominee on gender. Gender and racial lines are moving. They are still there but they are moving. Obama still had to overcome his race. There are a variety of politicians of a variety of racial politicians and women politicians. Obama is the person of the hour but he is the tip of the iceberg. In a way this is the most hopeful thing of the election. There is more coming.
Speirn: If the issues are not central nothing will change. Education system is bankrupting our nation. Health status and economic status which is linked to education. The social determinants of education far outweigh all other issues.
Vega: Expectations of Obama are high. He also talked to us about us and what responsibility we take as members of this society to take active part in our future. We need to be responsible for the kinds of things we want to see. We need to begin shaping agendas in our communities. We expect miracles, but we need to hope in what we really can change. It is the collection of our efforts to build a better society.
Wilson: Obama did something transcendent – The major ways AA leaders have made progress is through challenge. Some questioned that AA could not make progress without bargaining. Obama assumed good will which is the third way – not challenge or bargaining. No negative stories about the campaign staff – mission of being respectful and doing good.
Wilson: about Clinton’s campaign – when it comes to gender, gender will always trump gender. But if you only have one person who is different, you look at what they have different. Gender is central. It meant that Clinton had to walk all fine lines about being tough enough and maintain appeal. At end of campaign she felt she had nothing to lose, and she was more authentic.
Wilson: We learned about the continuing way gender continues to be reported in the media. There was an enormous amount of sexism in this election.
The movement – Civic engagement of young people, women and African Americans:
Kennedy: the horizons have been widened traumatically. The sense of possibility – young women, people of color – frankly regardless that everyone’s horizons were opened and that has something to do with extraordinary moment we are in. Even people who did not vote for Obama, even his rivals, many of them have been changed and moved to opening their horizons.
Wilson: inspiring but what do we do next? If they are not engaged – if it is just about their votes – we will lose them again. Obama has a plan, but we all need a plan too for the energy.
(ran out of battery)
This conversation derailed within the first five minutes of comments. The panelists began discussion the ways in which the 2008 Election redefined discussions of Race and Gender in America, particularly the ways in which these new discussions influence the non profit sector and the ways in which the non profit sector can contribute to these discussions. A great topic, particularly since a “what now?” theme ran through the entire conference. However, the conversation quickly jumped to the failures of the Clinton campaign, policy reform and eventually the prison system. Once again, a fruitful discussion on race and gender derailed! Is it that we don’t know how to have a meaningful discussion on race or that it’s just to complicated and uncomfortable?
LiveBlog – Independent Sector, Public Policy, Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Public Policy and the New Administration Q&A
Not hopeful for an effective lame duck session. Some have said that we need to ban the idea of the first 100 days with the issues this country is facing. Can you speak to this?
Nicholas Giordano: This transition is unprecedented – economic situation, two wars and general economic problems.
300 executive branch positions need to be filled. The top cabinet positions will be filled quickly so that when Congress goes back into session, the nomination proceedings will go pretty quickly.
Do you think the Bush Admin right now is ready to step aside? What indications?
Nicholas: Pretty positive. President Bush has gone forward and made sure money was put aside to for a seamless transition. Named internally those who will be responsible for policy transition. They seem to have all pieces in place. There will be some bumps, but the prospects are good.
What is the best way to get ideas into the transition team?
Nicholas: All transition team personnel have been announced so there are great access points. The change.gov platform is great for people to get information and jobs. However, getting information directly to the people responsible is the best way.
What changes can we expect with the House leadership?
Nicholas: This leadership has shown the ability to control the agenda to a great degree. Not much will change with the pickup of the 20+ seats. This will further embolden them. Pelosi and the team has been good in controlling the agenda. I would expect more of that. Leadership change will occur since Rahm Emanuel going to the white house. The ratio in the committees will change a bit. The democrats will have more flexibility in the caucus
in general. There is less a concern for the need of republicans to push things through.SHIFT
Some questions about defining the non profit community there have been some discussions about whether charities engaging with the poor are the only effective non profits, but public policy non profits are essential in that process.
Nicholas: Mr. Rangel has talked a lot of time taking about the corporate tax code and reform. This will be essential. Also the Ways and Means committee will be influential in the fiscal policies.
Senate Finance Committee: Sen Grassly has been proponent of more regulation of charitable organizations. Rised questions about university endowments and whether hospitals are providing sufficient community benefit, but he has also had a close colleague in Sen. Boccas who has shared concerns but has great interest in the share of non profits.
Efforts in creating an increase in Philanthropy. What is the outlook for further investigations and what will be Mr. Grassly’s role going forward?
Over the last two years the issues, the chairman Boccas and Sen. Grassly has not been aligned. Chairman Boccas in the caucas is looking make an effort to be bipartisan. The will also be responsible for the tax issues and health care reform issues so from his standpoint there will be several important priorities.
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