Barack Obama's open letter to his daughters and every child in America

[spokette]

Brack Obama published this letter in Parade Magazine in USA last week.

At his core, he is a family man who loves and cherishes his daughters as well as his beautiful wife. I love him.

Bamboo stalks. Apology given.

Obama has actually done quite a lot in the short time that he has been a politician actually.

As for sending his daughters to the private school, one of the things African-Americans fear is that Obama will not live long enough to achieve his potential (just like Martin Luther King). In case you did not realise it, it is not only opponents to the USA that would like to have a pop at him, many redneck crackers in the USA would like to lynch him too. His family will need 24 hour protection during their residency in the White House and beyond. Anybody who cannot see that is seriously naive.

Spokette,

Do you know I was thinking alot about this last night. Apparently a senior CIA / MIB man actually resigned cos he wouldn't take a bullet for a black man.. I find that abhorrent in this day and age. I have no clue if that's true or not, but I'm guessing there are more than a few nut jobs out there.

I think Obama is one of the best things to have happened in the US for a long time and couldn't possibly be worse than Dubya...

I do hope he makes a change though. America really needs to wake up and smell the outside world.

Apology accepted.

Not naive. Any securing of a school would be done to an incredibly high standard whether state or private. Is the private school some kind of impenetrable fortress? Just disappointed, had hoped for something more.

Does not surprise me Haribosmummy. There are going to be a lot of miserable rednecks in the USA today. First slavery was abolished, then John Crow Laws were repealed, then segregation was deemed unconstitutional, then the Civil Rights movement gained momentum thanks to acts by brave people like Rosa Parks, then miscegnation laws were repealed thanks again to the courage of Richard and Mildred Loving and now there is going to be black President.

Yes indeed, this is a day of mourning for the whites who still regard blacks as inferior.

I really hope, I do, that this is a day when we see each other as equal.

Black not better than white
White not better than black

Just a man, with both black and white ancestry who wants the best for his family, his kids and his country.

I really think it's a possibility this time.

That would be nice. I've already been told elsewhere [clearly not here] that by not being completely excited, I'm racist, which has been bloody annoying.

Oh, I'm impressed. Really impressed.

I just haven't figured out if it's Obama taking up the presidency or Bush leaving it

I think, to a fair extent, it's the latter.

"Re private school: Jimmy Carter's daughter managed at the local state school without any noticeable detriment to her future life."

well indeed, but that was 40 odd years ago, I presume his sons also attended a state school as well?

AND the last time I checked Carter didn't have black children, which already put them at a disadvantage in terms of someone more likely to want a pop at them.

I doubt it's an inpenitrable fortress, but I should imagine easier to secure than a public school. Also more chance of privacy within the confines of a private school than in a humming great state one.

And besides that, if I had the money, and the school I'd once taught at was 5 minutes from my house I'd probably send my kids there too.

He's probably got good health insurance too - shall we blast him for that as well??

Haribosmummy, I think that's probably a large reason for the level of enthusiasm, tbh.

Obama is the beneficiary of the Bush-boomerang effect.

Actually, although I despise the little man for a number of things he did, I do think history might judge him a little kinder than we do, particularly for the increase in aid to Africa.

I dunno, I wasn't especially hopeful when the Shrub was elected, and he still managed to disappoint. If I maintain a basic level of neutrality, I figure Obama might actually impress me.

the longer it goes on i just see all his talk as sentimental rhetoric and shallow pr campaigning playing up to this messiah image some have attributed to him.
i'm very interested to see how all his supporters will react if he does not live up to the hype as part of me thinks that regardless of what he does his supporters see him as being above criticism.
i've just got a feeling itwill be the same sort of sensationalism that surrounded george bush in that to praise anything he did was seen as wrong where as now to criticise anything obama does is seen as wrong/bitter/cynical and by some (not anyone on this thread) even racist

the longer it goes on i just see all his talk as sentimental rhetoric and shallow pr campaigning playing up to this messiah image some have attributed to him.
i'm very interested to see how all his supporters will react if he does not live up to the hype as part of me thinks that regardless of what he does his supporters see him as being above criticism.
i've just got a feeling itwill be the same sort of sensationalism that surrounded george bush in that to praise anything he did was seen as wrong where as now to criticise anything obama does is seen as wrong/bitter/cynical and by some (not anyone on this thread) even racist

I find it hard to reconcile his so called family values and his comments about wanting a better future for his daughters ''and for every child in this nation'' with his previous promise that ''the first thing'' he'll do as president is to increase the abortion limit, make it easier to get abortions and re-introduce partial birth abortions.
Does he only like children AFTER a 24 week gestation period?
I'd really love to like him and enjoy all these festivities - but his views on the freedom of choice act cast a cloud over all of it for me

for me, it's not so much the man - any human is bound to disappoint - as the fact that he has such a strong congressional following. it implies that the average american has had a good hard think about things & wold like to see some changes. they didn't just vote for one person, but for a different political party, the US is a huge country, so generalisations are difficlut, but on balance, they seem to be saying that they want to move on from previous political stances.

a bit like, whatever you think of blair, his election was definitely a message that traditional conservativism was no longer the ruling party in the UK. we haven't just gone back to that, and I suspect that the US is turning away from some fo the old republican points.

Let's not forget that Americans actually like sentimentality in a way that Europeans don't. They will read this letter in a very different way to us cynical Brits.

Oh I heart Obama

Us Brits are such a miserable, tight arsed lot of fuckers.

Obama...or, urmmmm...Gordon 'dry as a crusty old foot' Brown/David 'unconvincing smarmy git' Cameron? No brainer

I doubt very much he wrote the letter - he clearly is a talented writer but he does have a million and one things to do at the moment and churning out this sort of stuff is exactly what PR people are for. Would we rather he focused on the economy, the war and all the other pressing issues, or worried about where to put the commas in an article for Parade magazine?

It's funny how some people on this thread think he hasn't inspired people yet...I know that without a doubt he has inspired me. Not in a soppy way, but more about the fact that in life you often have to wade through shit to reach the diamond. I've spent the past year wading through a heck of a lot of shit, and finally, towards the end of that year, I found that I had changed a lot, grown a lot and learned an awful lot about myself. I've learned huge amounts about resilience and determination, and the one phrase which has stuck with me every time I've had a failure (I've had many of those, I can tell you) was "pick yourself up, dust yourself down, start all over again" - a really bloody annoying song from a daft musical. But it worked for me.

So when at the end of my shit-filled year The Big O was elected I was over the moon because it is an AMAZING achievement for a black (or half-black) person. Black people in the White House! Flippin' 'eck! So far the only people I know who really feel the significance of this without mollifying it with a hasty "of course it's not just because he's black" are black themselves: it's not a big deal; just one of those things.

Anyway when I heard him speaking today not only was I reminded of that "flippin' 'eck'" moment, but he then quoted almost verbatim that bloody annoying song lyric that I quoted above. By doing that he reminded me of what I've been through, how far I've come, and that if he could wade through all that shit and reach the dizzy heights of the White House, then I can reach my goal too.

So yes. He is only human. He will fail again and again and again. But he is also bloody inspiring.

I think there are a lot of Mners who really want to fuck spend some quality time with Mr Obama.

If he had written the letter, then surely he would of ended it with more than; Love Dad

"Does he only like children AFTER a 24 week gestation period?"

ermm where do you get that idea from? I think he simply wants to give woman back an element of choice that an over zealous government had previously taken away.

Pavlov, you're not a cat, you're a monkey!

So, so, so do not want to have him, pavlov.

{grin] I am, if we are going to be accurate about this, a bitch

I am just sensing a gushing theme in relation to the delectable Mr Obama, from many threads. People are tripping over themselves and I might add being a touch catty in places in order to defend a politician no less. Means only one thing. See above! .

You a psychologist, or what?

He is rather dishy, though. Think back over the past ones (in no particular order): Bush, Clinton, Bush, Reagan, Carter, Nixon, blah blah - see anyone even remotely attractive in that list?

I'd be a very proud mama if I'd given birth to someone so gorgeous and clever!

I agree that Obama and his story (so far) is fantastic and inspiring - but that letter's awful. sorry but I pmsl at "And I realized that my own life wouldn't count for much unless I was able to ensure that you had every opportunity for happiness and fulfillment in yours. In the end, girls, that's why I ran for President". oh purleeeeze. don't patronise us with guff