Change???

By Reid

CHANGE........ That was the buzz word for the election. Change means to alter ones course/direction. That we did last night in a big way. I stayed up watching the election results, listening to speeches, and trying to figure out where all this will lead. I have few answers for the future, but I will take a stab at a few points.

I am proud of this country, in that a vast number of citizens indicated that they actually do care about our electoral process enough to vote their minds. I am amazed at the turnout, and almost got to be proud of all those voters and supporters of Obama, but then the door was slammed.

A person of color was elected to be President. I never thought that day would come in my lifetime. I am not opposed to the thought, just felt it was still a ways out there. We still have not crossed the barrier of female leadership, but that day will come too, as well. We made a change. Unfortunately, that change hasn't taken us very far. Last night we were all reminded of how slavery, civil rights, hosings in Birmingham, etc. are still in play with the elected. No change, just different voices reciting the same old tired rhetoric of long ago.

Obama was not directly affected by any of the civil rights issues of the 60's. Why bring them up. Why not use himself as a beacon of hope, as a man to bridge the gap between races, as a man that will tell us all that bigotry and racism need to be ended. Why dredge up past history when all he talked about was change. A difference; something new; altering our current position; a change. Instead all we got was the same old tired, worn out, well trodden monologue of Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton.

President Elect Obama, if you are a man of your word, if you truly have the courage you say, if you truly want this country to change, then start by wiping the slate clean on racism. Does it exist - absolutely, but it goes both ways. Will it exist, probably, because it goes both ways. But lets stop it now. Lets remember not remind, lets praise without destroying, let all know that our history is spotted, in many ways, but that we have learned from it and are moving on to a better place. Leave that legacy Mr. Obama and you will actually have started something that will help all our future generations. The one where color and ethnicity don't matter. Where change really did happen. By the way.....Good Luck Sir!!