Labels. by the Looney Leftie.

I've been thinking of the historic speech by Barak Obama.   Some of it may never come out of my mind since the points he raised spoke SO much to what I thought,  Never before has ANY candidate put to word the thoughts that so clearly expressed my position. 

I've gone to some of the best schools in America and lived in one of the world's poorest nations. I am married to a black American who carries within her the blood of slaves and slaveowners - an inheritance we pass on to our two precious daughters. I have brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, uncles and cousins, of every race and every hue, scattered across three continents, and for as long as I live, I will never forget that in no other country on Earth is my story even possible.

Is Obama proud of this country?  Clearly he is.

 I have already condemned, in unequivocal terms, the statements of Reverend Wright that have caused such controversy. For some, nagging questions remain. Did I know him to be an occasionally fierce critic of American domestic and foreign policy? Of course. Did I ever hear him make remarks that could be considered controversial while I sat in church? Yes. Did I strongly disagree with many of his political views? Absolutely - just as I'm sure many of you have heard remarks from your pastors, priests, or rabbis with which you strongly disagreed.

 ...And yet . . . people still hold this man against him.  Obama speaks for Obama.  Period.

In fact, a similar anger exists within segments of the white community. Most working- and middle-class white Americans don't feel that they have been particularly privileged by their race. Their experience is the immigrant experience - as far as they're concerned, no one's handed them anything, they've built it from scratch. They've worked hard all their lives, many times only to see their jobs shipped overseas or their pension dumped after a lifetime of labor.

And what could be more true?  It's NOT black vs. White.

Just as black anger often proved counterproductive, so have these white resentments distracted attention from the real culprits of the middle class squeeze - a corporate culture rife with inside dealing, questionable accounting practices, and short-term greed; a Washington dominated by lobbyists and special interests; economic policies that favor the few over the many. And yet, to wish away the resentments of white Americans, to label them as misguided or even racist, without recognizing they are grounded in legitimate concerns - this too widens the racial divide, and blocks the path to understanding.

Labels are a lot like racism.  Easy.  I've been called a loony leftie, an extremist and what not.  I'm a gun-owning liberal who's anti-violence.  My wife is a Republican who smoked pot.  Labels aren't so static.  They're also useless if you want to build a coalition and unite the divided.   

This country needs unity.  Labels would never provide that.  How about . . . PRO-America vs. ANTI-America?  That's a label I can deal with.  THEN . . . ALL we have left to do is decide what's best for this country . . . NOT what label we wear.  Lose the labels . . . win back our country!