THEIR SYSTEM DOESN’T WORK FOR YOU / Justin Sane

I'm Not Giving Obama A Free Pass, Neither Should You

Dear Friends and Bloggers Alike,

Long time, no post!  "What gives?" you ask.  Well, maybe it has something to do with the fact that I have been working on a new Anti-Flag record, or maybe it's because all those "Saved By Zero" car commercials finally drove me to violently jab my ear drums with an ice pick, or maybe it has to do with the fact that I recently adopted a new kitten from the Animal Rescue League...  Chances are it has to do with all of the above and then some - minus the ice pick, I used a pencil...

Regardless, it's nice to be back at my laptop writing to you.  My last post produced a flurry of interesting and provocative responses from you covering subjects as diverse as: a "One World Government/Illuminati" is running the world; "gargantuan evil" is in control of not one but both major US political parties; people should not vote for Obama and instead vote for a third party; and my personal favorite, which came in the form of this question: "Why did the Pittsburgh Steelers play Ben Roethlisberger against Indianapolis instead of Byron Leftwich when it was obvious that Big Ben was banged up, exhausted and in need of some rest?"  I couldn't agree more.

Regardless of your point of view, I appreciate your input immensely as it reminds me how lucky I am to be a part of such an amazing community of people, specifically those I have connected with as a result of posting on BLURT and by performing in Anti-Flag. So thanks to all of you who have posted a comment.

Within the next two weeks I plan to respond directly to some of your comments from my last post and this post, so keep an eye out for that. In the meantime I want to take a moment to send a special thanks to JuliaIsabella for her post... Thanks JuliaIsabella, your words inspire me to keep doing what I do. It was a pleasure meeting you.

Now onward to today's main event...

Election night, the taste of victory was sweet.

Actually, it tasted more like Guinness as I downed a pint in celebration while leading a chorus of "We Are The Champions" at an election night party, one arm around my older sister and the other around her daughter, who coincidentally is the little girl who appears on the cover of Anti-Flag's Terror State CD. That photo was taken only a few years into the Bush White House and that little girl is now nearly eighteen!  Seeing her grown up is a firsthand illustration to me of the years that have passed and the endless opportunities to take this world in a progressive direction that have been missed by the Bush White House during that time. With those thoughts in mind it was hard - almost impossible actually - for me not to feel great about the ouster of the Republicans from the White House, and to witness history as a black man was elected to live in a house built by slaves and given a name that at this point in time strikes me as one part racist and one part absurd: "The White House..."  Really? (I wonder what they're going to do with the "Whites Only" sign now that the Obamas are going to be living there?)

Yes, once again truth is stranger than fiction and even those who would most likely be categorized as Obama skeptics couldn't contain their feelings of exhilaration at the election results.  Amy Goodman of Democracy Now certainly couldn't hide the smile on her face as she reported the news of Obama's victory, and even commentators on Fox News came across as genuinely excited and even one or two percent less Stepford Wife-ish than usual as it was confirmed that Obama had enough votes to win. Was that quite possibly a glimmer of hope I noticed twinkling from Karl Rove's eye when commenting on Obama‘s victory? Actually, no it was not...  Now I'm just being ridiculous!

Having suffered through eight years of Bush and Republican rule which brought us two  wars, a historic gap between rich and poor, ever deepening environmental devastation, a backward energy policy, and the worst economic disaster since the Great Depression, the very election of Barack Obama is a victory in itself. The fact that he is an African American and the most progressive person elected to the presidency in decades shines a light on how far America has come since the days of Jim Crow and segregation, and even since the invasion of Iraq.

Yes, the Obama victory is exhilarating, exciting, and ground breaking in so many ways, but what now?  As we enter into the next historic phase of this presidential journey the question remains: Will Obama be his own man, or will he be a tool of The Man?

Hints at both possibilities lurk below the surface, simultaneously sparking within me hope and concern.

This past Sunday on 60 Minutes, Obama stated that he was committed to closing down Guantanamo Bay and ending torturing as "an effort to regain America's moral stature in the world."  That sounds pretty good, right?  On the other hand, Democracy Now reported that John Brennan and Jami Miscik, both former intelligence officials who served under George Tenet, are leading Obama's review of intelligence agencies and making recommendations to Obama's administration. Brennan has supported warrantless wiretapping and extraordinary rendition; Miscik was involved in politicized intelligence used in the build up to the Iraq war; which alleged that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction. Ok, now I don't feel so good about Obama.

Such examples, pro and con, swirl around President-elect Obama and it is impossible to know for sure which direction he will take on every issue. However, there are measures we can take to influence President-elect Obama, and the first step in that process is for each and everyone of us to write and/or call him when we feel he is on target and when we feel he is not. I am personally committed to this action, starting today, and I urge you to do the same on the issues that matter most to you; be it the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan, health care, education, the environment, energy, gay rights, the Supreme Court, Wall Street giveaways, military recruiters in schools, Federal Communications Commission reform (the Fairness Doctrine) - any and every issue you hold near and dear.

The kind of change America and this world needs will not come over night and it will not come easy.  Many people feel too cynical to believe it is possible for the government to be reclaimed by or to work for the people of this country rather than the corporate raiders who currently have their claws dug into it.

Believe me, I understand your hopelessness, but as recently as November 4th many people did not believe that it was possible for an African American to be elected President of the United States. Make no mistake about it, in Barack Obama we have a leader who, despite his faults, gives us reason to believe that he is genuinely concerned about people and working for progressive change for the nation and the world.  You can give up without a fight, you can give into your cynicism and apathy and be a part of the problem, or you can take a chance and make an effort; even one as minor as periodically writing to or calling your state and federal representatives (including President

Obama) and letting them know what you believe in and which direction you want to see this country and this world take.

You can start now by writing to President Elect Obama

at: http://change.gov/page/s/yourstory

As those of you who have been reading my posts know, Obama was not my first choice for president and I continue to believe that he is wrong on many issues, but I stand by my belief that he was the only viable choice for president in 2008. That said, the change we voted for will not come at all if we don't do our part to hold President Elect Obama accountable for the actions he takes as the 44th President of the United States.  Take fifteen minutes to write to the guy!

The future of your nation and world is at least as important as writing a five minute email to a friend about what happened this week on The Office, or who was eliminated on The Pick Up Artist - Season 2.