WHY KHALIFAH SUPPORT THE CANDIDACY OF BARACK OBAMA
(in answer to questions
In one way or another, individuals who do not understand why I came out in support of Barack Obama back on February 18, 2008. Following is a list of items about Obama that I received from the former President of the Republic of New Afrika, Dr. Kwame Afoh. My response will follow the items below.
Khalifah, do you endorse:
1. BO saying he will hunt down Al Qaeda and "other terrorists" when he sits among them every day? To what end for Afrikans?
2. BO has said that Afrikan Reparations is a "distraction" from the real issues and thus he is opposed to Reparations?
3. BO has Zbizniew Brezinski (sp), as his top political adviser--the one who authored "Global 2000", the plan to weaken and thus gain
hegemony over Afrika and Afrikans!!
4. BO says he is a "patriotic, loyal american--are you?
5. BO says "we" must bring america back to the day when "america" was respected, etc. in the world! When was that: during our Maafa; during the Jim Crow days prior to the 1960's; when "america" attacked Grenada, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Korea, Sudan, Vietnam, Iraq -- and nuked Jaoan???
6. Many will say BO's language simply acknowledges the "real politik" (what??)!!
Wonder what"politik" his actions will follow if/when BO sits on the mighty throne of the world's worst, most barbaric, imperiialst empire(!!!)? ?
7.More to comelater..
By H. Khalif Khalifah
SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY, VA
SEPTEMBER 1, 2008
Thank you for itemizing some of the contradictorily things about Senator Barack Obama that I DO NOT SUPPORT about his candidacy for President of the “Experiment” called the United States of America (“experiment” is how word Dr. Imari A. Obadele regularly uses to refer to the United States of America).
As an Afrikan who live in the Slavery society, I concluded long ago that if I was not willing to take the physical fight to our ENEMIES, our oppressors, Caucasian people, for the most part, and develop the skills necessary to be a revolutionary, I WOULD HAVE TO LIVE WITH MY OWN CONTRADICTIONS – in the system that is based on white supremacy. My support of Barack Obama is one of those contradictions.
As I have stated many times, “for the Blackman to live one-more-day in a society like the USA, the reality of which is because our ancestors were overcome in battles: cruel chattel slavery, second-class citizenship and others forms of oppression came in the aftermath; anyone who is not be in “the bush” someplace awaiting a chance to kill the enemy, avenge our ancestors, appropriate our needs to prosecute the war and reclaim our Complete Freedom, MUST LIVE IN THE CONTRADITION OF NOT PHYSICALLY FIGHTING BACK.”
We all must rationalize our reasons: I developed the skills as a journalist and publisher; others became school teachers & etc. But some could not live in the contradictions –one-more-day. These would not abide and follow the enemies’ rules to earn what is needed to publish articles, newspapers, books & etc. Or to draw checks from the institutions that the enemy controls to maintain his sway over us. Afrikans who refuse to live in the contradictions ‘one-more-day’ is the pool of humans where our revolutionaries emerge.
REVOLUTIONARIES ALWAYS PRESENT
While we have, and have always had Black revolutionaries that beat, killed, or frightened the enemy into making it easier to practice our system vocations, the worth of their work has not had the dramatic impact it would have if more of our gifted NON REVOLUTIONARIES used the contradictions they live in to teach and instruct Black Youth correct history, and the ways of the Revolutionaries.
I understand: like one of my Mentors, Brother Lumumba Odinga, he couldn’t stand the enemy long enough to work a “system job.” So I am not speaking of this class of Afrikan.
Nor am I speaking of those who are “mis-educated” and swallowed up into the “system” where our freedom is buried! The oppression is so pervasive it is easy to live as so-called African Americans – extremist, like Clarence Thomas actively work against the best interest of Africans in oppression. He and others of this ilk are useless and will eventually go the way of everyone who stands in the way of the ultimate destiny of Black people!
Others who believe in and work in “the system," like Barack Obama, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jesse Jackson, and etc. strive to secure more “creature comforts” for their people in “the system.” Our support of them is for tactical and practical reasons. There is no place where we who understand what complete freedom is can support their ultimate aspirations for Black people. And when we really understand the depth of their affection for the United States of America, we do not expect them to support our ultimate ideal of what Complete Freedom will look like.
But for “tactical reasons,” they also support some of the work of Black Nationalist. We Black Nationalist would be insane to expect them to support everything we do, or will do to free our people. On the other hand, they would be absolutely insane to expect us to support everything they do to live out their ideal of freedom in “the system.”
I support Barack Obama in the light above – and the fact that he is a Blackman who choose to run for the President of the USA to support his family and realize his ideals for living on earth. Like others of my brothers and sisters who work in the “system” thusly, when we meet we debate the issues.
UNDER ACHIEVING BLACKMEN & WOMENBECAUSE OF THE SYSTEM OF OPPRESSION
Then we have in the Race, Blackmen and women who have the skills to teach and give our youngsters correct information and instruction about the contributions of our Revolutionaries, like Nat Turner, Assata Shakur, Gabriel Prosser, Denmark Vesey & etc. And point them in the right direction, even if the teachers aren’t nimble enough to travel that way.
But their job is not as useful as possible because disgust and disrespect of the “system” render their positions in it to not excel, but condemn it in ways that put them in weak positions – causing Black Youth to 1) not take “system jobs, 2) take less rewarding positions in the system or 3) feeling guilty for working in the system. Meanwhile, they live out their lives on the fringes in contradictions of the “system,” as sages whose life only represent a potion of their potential.
There should be no doubt in any Afrikan mind that every Afrikan on the planet must get busy – at least to excel and support self. The ones of us who have programs that are tailored to realize our potential, and support the ones who will become, or are already revolutionaries. Once you are convinced and committed to break out of the contradictions, educate self, supporting others who do not agree with all of your ways to reclaim your freedom, will not, cannot shake your drive to be independent of the systems and the contradiction within it.
FINALLY
Afrikans, Dr. Imari Obadele, Dr. Kwame Afoh, and yes Brother H. Khalif Khalifah, and thousands of other Afrikans understand very well that we live in contradictions, in “the system,” doing our “system” work. But our work, as Journalist, Publisher, Teacher or etc., allows us to be more effective in support of the front line in the Liberation Struggle – while working like we are NOT MIS-EDUCATED and BUILD INDEPENDENT BLACK INSTITUTIONS! We want to be free. We want to win. And Symbols of freedom will not suffice!
…………………………………….
H. Khalif Khalifah is a member of N’COBRA, the National Coalition of Blacks For Reparations in America. He served on the National Board of Directors from 1996 to 2002. He is a journalist with more that 1000 published articles, author of 10 books, publisher or publishing consultant for more than 600 books that were written by for or about Afrikan people. He is also the Senior Tour Guide for The Nat Turner Trail where he live, grow food for subscribers to his Farm Project.
--
NEW www.khabooks.com
PLANNED EVENTS at THE KHALIFAH HEALTH RANCH RETREAT - Farm Project at KHRR - next meeting Nat Turner Trail, "Living History Tour,", 7/4/08, 8/21/08, 10/31/08
A Good meditation hour is at the UNITED THOUGHTS POWER HOUR OF 8 A.M. - the "base" is already created: be sincere and tap into power!khalifah@khabooks.com;
You need to be a member of TheBlackList Pub to add comments!
Well, now that he's elected, and we've done our "duty". Let's get on with the business of FREEDOM. The GREEN party provided a candidate- African American AND female and a running mate Hispanic American AND female.
They present a party committed to social justice and nine other key values GP.ORG
Examine the merits at runcynthiarun.org We have four years to make this political party. We need people to run for office as well as collect signatures for BALLOT ACCESS
There is still a candidate in Louisiana that could use our financial support- Malik Rahim running for representative http://www.newmenu.org/malik
The following is GREEN PARTY Black caucus news
1. The GP Black Caucus ~8 years ago intiated support for the "Democratization of the Electoral College" initiative by Asa Gordon that would finally bring about the support of the National Green party over several national conventions. It was a long haul of motivation and education. See Green Press Releases at ww.electors.us. Thanks.
2. This "initiative" provides the only means that can translate popular votes for the McKinney/Clemente ticket into electoral votes that can empower their campaign in a close election. By way of example, the effect of this "initiative" if realized in 2000 would have awarded 12 electors to the Green Party candidate in 2000 and Nader would have been in the position to be "king" maker in that presidential election.
4. This lawsuit "initiative" was filed on July 28th, 2008, to commemorate the Century and Two Score years anniversary of the adoption of the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. The "initiative" seeks to enforce the mal-apportionment penalty (MAP) provision of the Second Section of the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution to empower Black Voters that is loss under "Winner-Take-All".
5. This "initiative" exposes the "Winner-Take-All" white electoral quota as structurally anti-majoritarian because it concedes over half(147) of the Presidential Electors needed to select the President of the United States of America to the 11 states that made up the former Confederate States of America. "Winner-Take-All" is institutionally racially bias because it only counts the nearly 27% of general election white votes cast in the former Confederate States, while disregarding the near 46% of the general election black votes cast in those states in our presidential elections. The true measure of a democracy is not in counting how many votes are cast, but in how many of those votes that are cast count.
6. This "initiative" also exposes an unfortunate irony . The "Reconstruction Party" and the Black Liberation Movement (BLM) apparently shares the public general ignorance of this most powerfull reconstruction provision to empower black voters and are in need of education by the GP Black Caucus to obtain the progressive understanding of the National Green Party at this stage.
7. Finally, this "initiative" is to honor that voter empowerment amendment to the Constitution that represents the crowning achievement of the ultimate sacrifice made in the Civil War by that "band of brothers" of Americans of European and African descent to effect "a new birth of freedom" and forge "a more perfect union".
https://theblacklist.net/
Replies
BRO?
They present a party committed to social justice and nine other key values GP.ORG
Examine the merits at runcynthiarun.org We have four years to make this political party. We need people to run for office as well as collect signatures for BALLOT ACCESS
There is still a candidate in Louisiana that could use our financial support- Malik Rahim running for representative http://www.newmenu.org/malik
The following is GREEN PARTY Black caucus news
1. The GP Black Caucus ~8 years ago intiated support for the "Democratization of the Electoral College" initiative by Asa Gordon that would finally bring about the support of the National Green party over several national conventions. It was a long haul of motivation and education. See Green Press Releases at ww.electors.us. Thanks.
2. This "initiative" provides the only means that can translate popular votes for the McKinney/Clemente ticket into electoral votes that can empower their campaign in a close election. By way of example, the effect of this "initiative" if realized in 2000 would have awarded 12 electors to the Green Party candidate in 2000 and Nader would have been in the position to be "king" maker in that presidential election.
3. This "initiative" is the highest ranked Digg subject matter (by far) at the McKinney/Clemente web site -- http://digg.com/users/mckinney2008/history.
4. This lawsuit "initiative" was filed on July 28th, 2008, to commemorate the Century and Two Score years anniversary of the adoption of the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. The "initiative" seeks to enforce the mal-apportionment penalty (MAP) provision of the Second Section of the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution to empower Black Voters that is loss under "Winner-Take-All".
5. This "initiative" exposes the "Winner-Take-All" white electoral quota as structurally anti-majoritarian because it concedes over half(147) of the Presidential Electors needed to select the President of the United States of America to the 11 states that made up the former Confederate States of America. "Winner-Take-All" is institutionally racially bias because it only counts the nearly 27% of general election white votes cast in the former Confederate States, while disregarding the near 46% of the general election black votes cast in those states in our presidential elections. The true measure of a democracy is not in counting how many votes are cast, but in how many of those votes that are cast count.
6. This "initiative" also exposes an unfortunate irony . The "Reconstruction Party" and the Black Liberation Movement (BLM) apparently shares the public general ignorance of this most powerfull reconstruction provision to empower black voters and are in need of education by the GP Black Caucus to obtain the progressive understanding of the National Green Party at this stage.
7. Finally, this "initiative" is to honor that voter empowerment amendment to the Constitution that represents the crowning achievement of the ultimate sacrifice made in the Civil War by that "band of brothers" of Americans of European and African descent to effect "a new birth of freedom" and forge "a more perfect union".
Thank You,
Asa