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Barack Obama and The Curious Case of the Stolen Country
Even though President Obama’s time in office is winding down, it seems that fact may come as a surprise to many Americans exercising their free speech VIA social media. The same fear based, vitriol filled memes flow like cheap wine. Mmmm. Tastes like unbridled paranoia. A 2008 vintage, with a nutty aroma.
The posts usually range from inaccurate to crazy. Some people believe that we are on the verge of a prophesied dictatorship. Embarrassingly, there are even people that fear an impossible third term. Or at least that’s what I could decipher from pics of a guy holding a misspelled sign while waving tea bags and a “don’t tread on me” flag.
As an independent voter, I have disdain for both democrats and republicans. The corporate funded two party system is too concerned with the interests of their “donors” for me to trust a candidate from either side. I find the tsunami of absurd fear based rhetoric and talking points unleashed when President Obama took office impossible to ignore, especially when it still leaves debris scattered daily across a Twitter or Facebook newsfeed. Too often I find myself in the odd position of defending a president I did not and would not vote for. That inevitably leads to catching some connotation of the word “liberal” thrown as an insult from someone too lazy to form a political opinion without using it. Thanks Fox News!
It is the duty of every American to be critical of our elected officials and to hold them accountable. Despite easy access to the free flow of information, fact based rational criticism has given way to blindly “liking”,”retweeting”, or “sharing” whatever emotion stirring snippet of propaganda is currently making the rounds on the internet. If repeated enough it becomes truth to people susceptible to it. There is plenty to criticize about the Obama administration without resorting to blaming the president for The Lego Movie getting snubbed at the Oscars. Thanks Obama. Everything is NOT awesome.
It is really frustrating that the most ridiculous things have the most longevity.
“Nope. Still have mine. He is quite the procrastinator.
“Barack HUSSEIN Obama.”
Ah yes. I’m supposed to think of Saddam, right?
“The Kenyan.”
This was born of desperation and sensationalized by a guy with a weird haircut and crappy reality show involving people getting fired or something.
“Obama is waging a war on Christianity!”
Hmmm. Santa still came and the Easter bunny is on his way. Ohhhh, they must mean the gays. How dare he support equality and persecute Christians by trying to prevent them from persecuting others! Or maybe it’s the Catholic hospital birth control issue that he gave the church an exemption for but they sued over anyway. I guess providing birth control conflicts with all the sterilizations the hospital had been performing? Gotta keep the numbers up I guess. Although providing it would put a damper in the old Catholic Church rape lawsuit settlement fund.
“Obama is the anti-christ!”
My money was on Dick Cheney.
“He’s a Muslim and will force Sharia Law on America!”
Ignoring the glaring contradiction the sentiment has with a nation that espouses religious freedom – no, he’s not. He’s a practicing Christian. His father was a Muslim turned atheist. I’m not sure which is worse to the radical right – an atheist or a Muslim, but I am happy to report that Sharia Law doesn’t seem to be catching on. I routinely eat my weight in bacon and haven’t been invited to any stonings, so I think we are safe.
“
Let’s take our country back.”
It’s a sadly transparent call to arms that is still being uttered as if we’re living in a weird Red Dawn remake where America gets taken over by other Americans but neither side has a Patrick Swayze to save the day. It floats on top of a murky puddle of similar tidbits, attempting to make people forget that there were even elections. Nope. Apparently, the country was taken right out of the bed of our pick-up trucks while we were driving around jamming the latest 9-11 exploiting ballad about America, god, soldiers, putting feet firmly into asses for the “red, white, and blue”, and⊠pick-up trucks.
Also, it’s thinly veiled racism. Take it back from whom? The election booth? Uh huh. It’s embarrassing. Oh wait, I said the “R” word, which means I get to be accused ofâŠ
“Playing the race card.”
Uh, yeah, it generally gets played whenever it gets dealt. It’s been dealt quite a bit through subtle phrases that aren’t really fooling most people, but give the person saying them an easy out if called on it. Well, except for the guy who said Obama’s wife looks like she’s from the Planet of the Apes. I’m assuming he didn’t mean Marky Mark.
After sifting through the garbage, itâs easy to see the country wasn’t taken or stolen. It was given away. Twice. It was handed over by a party that thrives on the same type of fear and fanaticism that is still being displayed on social media. I’m not sure what was expected considering the infection of candidates that oozed out of the boil on the Grand Old Posterior for the last two elections. THAT is what they felt their voters wanted? Sorry, but the country won’t be “taken” back either. It’s going to be given back. Term limits ring a bell? But they still would have to win the election. Judging by the emerging GOP front-runners for the 2016 election, it doesn’t seem likely. The current turd in that punch bowl is a Canadian born Hispanic man with a tough stance on immigration. He’s a climate change denier, creationist, believes people once rode on dinosaurs, wants to send Obama back to Kenya, and sits on the space and science subcommittee.
Yes, I’m speaking of Senator Rafael Edward Cruz.
But you can call him “Ted.”
I seriously feel like they are just messing with us at this point. 6 years of complaining, spreading misinformation, fear mongering, and THIS is part of the “take our country back” plan? THIS is a guy that might resonate with the voters that have been expressing their displeasure with the Muslim Kenyan Dictator Antichrist Barrack Hussein Obama?!
On second thought, yeah, that makes perfect sense.
Almost every year for the past 6 years and on the same day, Iâve posted the same pic of me in the hospital during my temporary and untimely demise in 2015. A few weeks after I was back to ânormalâ, I asked Eric âWhyâd you take the pics?â And he said, âI knew you would want to write about it if you lived.â Eric was right. Eric was often right and Eric always had my best interest at heart. I am going to miss my friend.
You ever meet someone and become friends immediately?! Well this was not the case with Eric. Before he was my manager at Morgan Stanley, I would often see this 6â4″, giant white guy walk up to the only black woman at work, say something then walk away without any hint of human emotion. Naturally I thought he was a jerk until I asked her âYo, is that dude bothering you?â She laughed and proceeded to tell me he was a great person, which I ultimately got to experience first hand. Little did I know this Italian from Staten Island was more Brooklyn than most Brooklynites.
Eric was not with the shits!! If there were ever someone who lived their life in direct, honest and no uncertain terms, that would be Eric. He would ask me questions at work like âWhy are the other consultants making more money than you?â I knew the answer to that question and so did he. Eric then proceeded to increase my salary by 15K. After arguing with all our managers that âYou need to hire Alfred!â, they eventually did 1 year prior to the 2015 incident. In the hospital, one of my friends asked me, âWhat if you didnât have health insurance when this happened?â I would be in debt for the rest of my life is the obvious answer. I still am in debt for the rest of my life but at least, it is to those who made sure I had a more enjoyable life and for that, I will gladly repay.
My mom loved to tell me the story of how she met Eric. After they told her I was going to be in the ICU for some time, she told the doctor âWell Iâm not going anywhere.â She then hears a voice from that back of the room that says âWell Iâm not going anywhere either!â That was Eric and in true form, he was at that hospital every single day until I was discharged.
Eric passed away in December 2021 of stage 4 cancer. After feeling faint on his way to my bbq, he went to get checked out and was diagnosed. During the past 5 years, Eric lost his mom, twin brother and dad. I can’t even begin to imagine what that must have felt like but I’m glad that pain he was feeling is no more.
From being my manager to my business partner, writer, book editor, artistic director, and most importantly, my friend, I am going to miss you MC Krispy E a.k.a âEnrique Pollazo!â And although you told me Enrique means Henry in Spanish and not Eric, it was too late!
Sidebar. The day I was discharged, while everyone was deciding what was best for me, no one had remembered that I would need clothes in order to leave the hospital. Eric shows up (unasked) with all the clothes I had on the day I coded, laundered and ready to go. I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve friends like this but i need to keep doing it! Sidebar complete.
Rest in Peace Eric. âBe Good.â
I had the distinct pleasure of participating in a panel discussion on writing your first book, presented by the Harlem chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. Alongside Jim St. Germain, Author – A Stone of Hope: A Memoir and Dr. Keneshia Nicole Grant, Author – The Great Migration and the Democratic Party: Black Voters and the Realignment of American Politics in the 20th Century.  We opined on pain points, benefits and strategies regarding our inaugural voyages into authorship. Feel free to watch for your self and I hope this provides some insight to all those looking to make the same voyage. Enjoy!
