America’s Next Black President

OK, so to be fair and equitable, I thought I would post this interesting article for all to read. I would hate to be considered a woman who is not very objective. A little biased maybe, but a Fox News reputation is not one I willingly accept.

For those of you who did not know that the US government used black people in medical experiments that have been debilitating and fatal in many cases, please take note. I truly thought that was common knowledge. I thought everyone knew about the Tuskegee experiment, or about the children in Libya who were deliberately infected with the AIDS virus by medical professionals in 2006. Doesn’t everyone know that the incidence of illness and chronic disease (including AIDS and HIV) is higher in African Americans than any other race in this country? For me, as a health care professional, this information is more than common knowledge. Racial disparities in health care are well known and documented. There are coalitions, books, magazines and a mass movement to address racial disparities inhealth care. It is also very well understood in Public Health circles that health is directly related to economic status and stress. These factors are preventable in our society, and they must be addressed and dealt with, by all people.

Despite this very unfortunate and even despicable fact about America’s history when it comes to the health of black people, Reverend Wright’s comments, in my opinion, were poorly timed. I think he could have accomplished more in this fight for health care equity if he had kept the dog alive. If he just held on to his blazingly controversial comments and toned down his comments about Barack,he would never have been “disowned.” I think Wright’s participation in issues of health care, much like what he has done in his church, would have been much more valuable to the community he serves than his being cast out like old sour milk.
The state if black health in America cannot be swept under the rug. And as far as the HIV/AIDS virus matter, it is not a new assertion. Even the Kenyan Nobel Peace Laureate Wangari Maathai agrees with Wright and has announced her position publicly. Conferences throughout the world regularly address the origin of HIV, as well as it’s adverse impact on blacks. PLEASE NOTE, I am NOT suggesting that any government, US or any other , created AIDS as a weapon of mass black destruction. I am not aware of any evidence to support that assertion. Let me be clear.

I’m Just Saying that there is evidence that is easily obtained in numerous places about the present and past disparaging treatment of blacks by the health care system in this country. Whether this virus was created for the purpose of destroying the black community or not, it is doing just that. Of the 126,964 women living with HIV in 2005, a whopping 64% are black women. 64%. Staggering. HIV/AIDS is the leading cause of death for black women ages 25-34. That said, I really would prefer to spend my time preventing new cases while we remain at the height of the epidemicwho created the virus. I’m Just Saying.

It is my intention to make sure that as President of the United States of America, Obama deals with the disparities in health care. I don’t need him to stand by Wright and raise a flag saying “United States, without any proof I say to you, United States, you created AIDS to kill blacks.” It wil be like Kanye saying Bush hates black people. It got alot of attention for a sec, but if it was true, that did not change Bush’s position. Hillary not McCain are expected champion such a cause. Because Obama did not join Wright in his indefensible unproven rants about AIDS in America, should I cast my vote for the other candidates instead? I think not.
People are asking way too much of the black man, just because he is black. C’mon. No one is asking Hillary or McCain to jump on every black cause. Why should Obama be asked to do that? No other President in history has, and personally I don’t think he should be expected to. He will be the President for all of the US. Everyone’s causes must be important to him. The point I want to make is that because he is black, black issues are his issues. iTherefore, issues of importance to the black community will not be thrown under the bus, as they often are with other administrations, like the one we are under right now.

It is good enough for me that Obama is aware of these issues. I believe that sitting under Wright for 20 years, Obama heard some intense positions on race. I also think that as a black man in America married to a black woman with black kids; as a man who had to engage Secret Service earlier than any other candidate because of death threats due to his race; because he has to endure professional educated journalists on the evening news joke about his assassination as though he were the equivalent of a demon like terrorist Osama bin Laden ( See post on Liz Trotta and Fox News); and after addressing the issues of race in a highly thoughtful and introspective commentary before the country…
Obama knows a little something something about being a black man in America. He knows something about race.
I do not need him to take a litmus test to prove that to me. And again I say, Wright was dead wrong. That is my position and I am sticking to it. So thanks for sending me this article, you all keep me on my toes.
What else you got? I can handle it, keep it coming!

Note: do take a second to read this article about how cancer prevention secrets hidden from blacks and other minorities, and the history of the abuse of blacks in America by the US health care system. Powerful read.

I’m Just Saying …. TM

Cathleen