He's not Black either.  Dictionaries define a person that has mixed pigment as Mulatto.  To find that term you might have to look in an old book that describes words that aren't used much in the modern world.  While you're there look up another term:  "Taint - a trace of corruption, disgrace, evil, etc."  It describes one of the most vicious ideas from the racist past.  All people that had what the supremacists considered "inferior" genetic characterisitics were lumped together and sent to the back of the bus with others of their kind.

 

That type of prejudice wasn't limited to people who had ancestors from Africa.  I know people who would have once been told they belonged on a reservation.  They would never have been allowed to enter a saloon.  Derogative terms like "half breed" are no longer tossed at them.  Cher pounded the last nail in the coffin that epithet was buried in.  Now people brag about having even a small fraction of Apache or Cherokee in their ancestry.  It's become so prestigious I suspect that some folks exaggerate or even lie about having ancient tribal connections.  They're not doing it to claim a share in the revenues from casinos.  Today there's social status to be gained by being part Native.

 

A lot of groups have suffered their way through minority status.  The Irish were reviled when they came to build canals.  Now almost everybody celebrates St. Patrick's Day.  Thousands of workers traveled across the ocean to build the railroads.  In those days a town had signs that read "No Dogs or Chinese Allowed."  Baptists were viewed with hostility in the 1700's.  Mormons were persecuted in the 1800's.  Now both of them have joined the mainstream.  Catholic candidates were viewed with suspicion until JFK broke through that barrier.  The most massive number of people denied their right to vote and other liberties crashed through the walls and ceilings with a vengeance.  Women now own property and lead companies and hold high political offices all across the land.

 

Having some minority in your DNA is not the negative it once was.  Most people don't know that the wealthy and famous Oprah Winfrey is a blend of three groups that were once targeted for discrimination.  She is mostly Native American with some Asian and a little bit of African.  Toss her gender into the mix and you have four.  I don't know what religion she was raised in.  That might bring her total to five... but Oprah herself was never a slave.  She only played one in a movie.  She didn't grow up grinding corn and weaving baskets to sell to tourists.  She wasn't forced to live in a shanty outside of the town limits and do laundry to earn rice money.  She's proof that in modern America having ancestors that were suppressed or excluded no longer blocks personal success.

 

The list of individuals who have proved the same thing is incredibly long and gets longer every day.  The hordes of fans that follow Tiger Woods aren't thinking about his Asian and African roots.  When he sinks a long putt they just cheer.  The "Dream" described so eloquently more than half a century ago by Dr. King has become the reality.  The vast majority of people today do look at character rather than characterisitics.  Knowledge and skill and accomplishment are what matter in sports and entertainment and the corporate world.  Classification by skin color has become passe.

 

This all leads me to a comment on the current President and some questions.  Why are so many people obsessed with focusing on a "part" rather than the "whole" man?  Obama isn't really "black."  People who say that are embracing the noxious "Taint" idea just like the KKK in the Deep South and the Skinheads in Idaho.  Isn't saying that "any" makes him "one" instead of celebrating the fact that he is "both" simply a different twist on the same ugly concept?  The President is in fact a representative of a rapidly growing portion of the population.  When looking down the list of ethnic options on the census forms the correct choice is to mark several.  There is an "other" box.  That's a CYA to avoid leaving anyone out.  They might have to add a "multi" category and there should possibly be one for "all of the above."

 

My personal favorite would be "who gives a ----" but I'm not a statistician that is trying to stick everyone into predetermined pigeon holes.  The worst thing in doing that is it divides people from each other.  It also alienates them from themselves.  Many make the decision about "who they are" based on advantage rather than accuracy.  Being part of a protected class can open doors.  I think Oprah has demonstrated that by using only one part of her background to build her promotional persona.  The President has mentioned his Mother's family but I've never heard pride in his voice when he does it.  He and his handlers have certainly downplayed his life of comfort in Hawaii.  Growing up with luxuries and opportunities didn't fit the stereotype so they created the perception that he personally endured hardship and humble circumstance.  He may have observed poverty but he never experienced it.  He was loved and cherished and cultivated by the society that surrounded him.  He only heard about struggles against ancient prejudice in Church.  To make him more appealing to the chosen demographic his campaign put forth fiction based on appearance rather than reality.

 

Barry is proof that change has come to this country.  I'm not talking about his election.  I'm refering to his existence.  He is an example of profound differences between the way things are now and the way they used to be.  People across the entire spectrum of races and cultures have been getting together.  Not to have meetings and talk endlesssly about the problems of the past.  Not to pass laws and develop programs like the Washington types who have been tinkering with society by doling out money for decades.  There are a lot of common ordinary individuals that have found the ultimate and most basic way to improve race relations.  They're having relationships... and children.

 

The distinctions that separate people from each other are fading.  What is going on is more than a blending of physical characterisitics.  Couples care about each other and their offspring more than any group.  Individual similarities overcome superficial differences.  It's bringing an evolution that will lead to only one race on the Planet... the Human Race.  America wasn't color blind when it elected President Obama.  His hyphenated heritage was a factor for those who love or hate him because he has kinky hair.  The novelty and impact of that aspect of his nature is dissipating.  Barry will be accepted or rejected as a Leader based on what he says and does in The Office.  That's the way things really work.  History books are written about a President's plans and policies.  Physical appearance is only a minor footnote.  When it comes to public opinion and politics and life... actions and the results they bring cause a person to prevail or fail.

My favorite definition of the word "CHANGE" is: "something that is or may be substituted; something of the same kind but new or fresh."  That pretty much explains my lack of enthusiasm for policians who use the word to label what they have to offer.  It's a nebulous term.  It's so general in implication that when people hear it they are deceived by their own desires.  Used by a skillful speaker it can dazzle and delude listeners into believing that what they want is what they'll get.

 

I prefer a word that has more substance to it.  "REFORM" gets closer to what I'm looking for:

1.  To make better by removing faults and defects.

2.  To make better by putting a stop to abuses or malpractices and introducing better procedures.

3.  To cause or persuade a person to give up misconduct and behave better.

 

All three of the explanations Webster uses to clarify meaning say exactly what I think we need to deal with any of our current concerns.  Pick a problem and dig into it and find the fundamental flaws.  Uncover the deeds and identities of those that have used power and position to bend or break the Law and punish them.  I'm not talking about the usual show of cautious condemnation and wrist slapping.  Shame the people who have proved they don't deserve the public trust and kick them out of office.  Toss a whole bunch of white collar thieves in prison and take back what they have stolen.  Learn from their crimes and develop safeguards to prevent the same thing from happening again.

 

The most important is the third... raising the ethical bar in Wahington and on Wall Street.  It seems like a lot of the elected and elite have forgotten the value of integrity.  They have become adept at hiding their thoughts and plans rather than stating them with clarity.  Inferior ideas have thrived in the dark just like mushrooms and sprouted from the manure that is spread about during back room deals.  In the real world we bring our brilliant concepts into the light where everyone can see the details.  We have to be clear and specific.  If our Clients and Customer don't understand we must explain until they do.  To win their support... all of our dealings must proudly stand up to scrutiny and ongoing examination and evaluation.

 

That's the way an America does business.  We say what we're going to do and we do it.  The bottom line for us depends on results.  If we don't get the work done we don't get paid.  We have to keep our agreements and deliver on deadline.  American business offers both money back guarantees and warranties.  We can't excuse failure by saying we had noble intentions.  Our reputations are built on success.  That's the reason elected officials have dropped to unprecendented levels of unpopularity.  People know they're creating more problems than they are solving.  It's time for the Voters to remind the powerful that there is a cold hard reality we face every day.  If you can't do your job - you lose it.

I've heard critics and feminists bring up the issue and miss the profound point.  There is one aspect of the Governor of Alaska being nominated for Vice President that already shows a real change in US society.  It's not the conservative beliefs and policies that she so eloquently espouses.  Those concepts have been around to bless our country before.  Less intrusive government with smaller and more efficient programs... lower taxes... and a strong stand against the enemies of Peace and Freedom aren't new.  Those are ideas that have been tried and proven true in America before.  They fit candidates for elected office like a comfortable running shoe that has been broken in and won't cause blisters.

 

It's really not that big a deal that "SHE" has been nominated for Vice President.  That too has already been done and it will be done again.  It was inevitable.  The seeds of that now blooming plant began to grow when women got the vote.  The glass ceiling has been shattered for a long time and there are plenty of Senators and Governors and Corporate Executives that have risen above the now dusty shards.  What the pundits are missing is a profound and groundbreaking deatil about Sarah's lifestyle that really resonates with me.

 

I'm a male.  I'll put my skills as a cook and bottle washer up against those of any woman.  I can change diapers and nurture.  I can clean the house and get the children off to school.  I can do the laundry and shocking as it might be to some I actually like ironing.  Here's the important thing.  I love being the stay at home parent.  A lot of men do and we're good at it.  We should be able to hold our heads up with pride.  If we had the equipment to be bra wearers' people would think we were normal.  We should be happily pushing our strollers around the grocery store during the day without getting glanced at.  Society still looks at us as individuals who can't perform our traditional roles.  We're supposed to be wallets.  If we choose to stay at home taking care of the family while the spouse goes out to win the bread... we get no respect.

 

I find it extremely offensive every time I hear someone say that women are always the superior option when it comes to child rearing.  Parenting is a partnership and after a baby is born the skills needed to raise it have nothing to do with anatomy.  With a little planning a Father can even feed his newborn fresh breast milk.  A Mother can return to her career confident that her children are safe at home being cared for by her husband.

 

It's up to the couple to decide what works best for them and their family.  Some women have more to offer the world than domestic service and fresh baked cookies.  Sarah Palin can funcion as a Governor or a Vice President.  Todd can make sure that their children get all the love and care they need.  My guess is that when Sarah is finished with work he will also make sure that she comes home to a hot meal.  America can watch him giving her the support she needs to do what she does.  His example proves that macho men can stay home and handle raising the children.  It legitimizes the valuable contribution made by every man who sets aside the working world to further the professional interests of his woman.  It's a more important and fulfilling job than rigging oil derricks.