<html>
<body>
<font face="Verdana" size=2><b>November 13, 2008<br><br>
</font><font face="Verdana" size=4><u>The Meanings of Victory</u>
<br><br>
</b></font><font face="Verdana" size=2><u>[col. writ. 11/04/08] (c) '08
Mumia Abu-Jamal</u> <br><br>
<br><br>
The count has been called and Barack Hussein Obama,
Jr. has become the 44th President of the United States of
America.<br><br>
But, in truth, history will record him as #1 - the
first African-American president.<br><br>
It is undeniable that this is a singular political
achievement, a work of impressive political skill, and (we must admit) a
gift of the political gods.<br><br>
Among friends, in the privacy of a prison visiting
room I've often made the following half-joke. Obama wins
handsomely, and in his acceptance speech, flush with victory, loaded with
'political capital', he would open by saying, "My fellow Americans
-- first and foremost, I want to thank the one person who made my
election possible (if not inevitable): George W. Bush!"<br><br>
I always got a laugh, for like all good jokes
the truth makes it happen.<br><br>
And the truth is, without the blunders of Bush, Obama
would've been an also-ran. His fundamental issue, which set him
apart from the rest of the Democratic pack, was his early opposition to
the Iraq War. That gave him a wind that carried him far and long
beyond his competitors, who were, for the most part, half-hearted war
supporters -- or worse, people who supported the war only because to not
do so, would've harmed their political careers (or so they
thought).<br><br>
That wind carried him to the Oval Office, the grandest
prize in U.S. politics.<br><br>
But what does it mean?<br><br>
We cannot deny its symbolic value. In millions
of Black homes, his picture will be placed on walls, beside Martin, John
F. Kennedy, and a pale painting of Jesus. I'd be that quite a few African
homes (especially in Kenya) will also boast his smiling visage.<br><br>
But beyond symbol is substance, and substantively,
some scholars have defined Obama as little different from his
predecessors. Political scientist Clarence Lusane, writing in a recent
issue of The <u>Black Scholar</u> pointed to the money men behind both
Obama and the Democratic Party, and noted the following:<br><br>
The promotion of U.S. hegemony, expansion of markets for
U.S. corporations, security-based multilateral relations, protectionist
trade policies, and a focus on terrorism will likely be key priorities
demanded by the major political and financial backers of the Democratic
Party. In other words, in a number of key areas, an Obama administration
would echo the policies of both George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton."
*<br><br>
Yet, symbols are powerful things. Sometimes,
they have a life all their own. They may come to mean something
more than first intended.<br><br>
History has been made.<br><br>
We shall see exactly what kind of history it will
be.<br><br>
--(c) '08 maj<br><br>
{Source: Lusane, C., " 'We Must Lead the World' : The Obama Doctrine
and the Rebranding of U.S. Hegemony, " <u>The Black Scholar</u>,
[v.38: n.1] (Spr. '08), p.3.}<br><br>
<br>
The Power of Truth is Final -- Free Mumia! <br><br>
PLEASE CONTACT: <br>
International Concerned Family & Friends of MAJ <br>
P.O. Box 19709 <br>
Philadelphia, PA 19143 <br>
Phone - 215-476-8812/ Fax - 215-476-6180 <br>
E-mail -
<a href="http://by109fd.bay109.hotmail.msn.com/cgi-bin/compose?curmbox=00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000001&a=458931ce7693250bf4de92ee3d31fdfcc2801c36e89fb1ab49ff773c4e331c28&mailto=1&to=icffmaj%40aol.com&msg=6F5C57AE-66C4-4D41-A244-51ABA7FE5BCE&start=0&len=8358&src=&type=x">
icffmaj@aol.com</a> <br>
AND OFFER YOUR SERVICES! <br><br>
Send our brotha some LOVE and LIGHT at: <br>
Mumia Abu-Jamal <br>
AM 8335 <br>
SCI-Greene <br>
175 Progress Drive <br>
Waynesburg, PA 15370<br><br>
<br><br>
<br><br>
<br>
</font><x-sigsep><p></x-sigsep>
<font size=3 color="#FF0000">Freedom Archives<br>
522 Valencia Street<br>
San Francisco, CA 94110<br><br>
</font><font size=3 color="#008000">415 863-9977<br><br>
</font><font size=3 color="#0000FF">
<a href="http://www.freedomarchives.org/" eudora="autourl">
www.Freedomarchives.org</a></font><font size=3> </font></body>
</html>