Denver preps for DNC with national anthem snub
posted at 10:30 am on July 2, 2008 by Ed Morrissey
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The city of Denver has already begun to celebrate the Democratic National Convention, which officially begins less than two months from now. Pre-events have included the Colorful Food Watch and the Festival of Unpaid Bills, and yesterday’s State of the City speech began with Leftist Patriotism on Display. Instead of singing the national anthem as requested, Rene Marie replaced it with a protest song:
Mayor John Hickenlooper’s annual State of the City address may get more attention for what wasn’t included than what was.
At the start of the event Tuesday morning, City Council President Michael Hancock introduced singer Rene Marie to perform the national anthem.
Instead, she performed the song “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing,” which is also known as the “black national anthem.”
When she finished, the audience responded with mild applause. The national anthem was never performed.
Hickenlooper and city officials got caught completely by surprise, as Marie kept her intentions hidden until the actual performance. None of them acted to stop her or lead the crowd in the actual national anthem either, but by the time they would have realized what was happening, it was probably all over. Marie wanted to make a political statement, and succeeded — in setting off a firestorm.
Angry officials and residents lit up talk-radio phone lines in Denver afterwards. Councilman Charlie Brown declared that the US has one national anthem for all Americans, and that the Star Spangled Banner was the appropriate choice for the event. Marie could express herself in any number of venues, Brown noted, but that official city events should feature the actual American national anthem.
In addressing the media, Marie displayed the self-centeredness of people who hijack events for their own aggrandizement. “When I decided to sing my version, what was going on in my head was: ‘I want to express how I feel about living in the United States, as a black woman, as a black person,” she explained. However, the event wasn’t staged to give Marie a platform for her political views; it was an official speech by the Mayor to communicate the status of city government to its citizens.
Unfortunately, Denver had better get used to this kind of It’s all about how I feel as a [blank] thought process over the next two months.
Update: Be sure to read Baldilock’s take on this, which offers a little implicit criticism for me. In my defense, I never asserted that the song itself was Leftist, but rather the ridiculous display yesterday was. Otherwise, she’s dead on point.
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I wish Alan Keyes would run 3rd party.
Now he would run some off like AP.
His latest video on his site says he wants to get an alternative name on the ballot.
May be too late.
WoosterOh on July 2, 2008 at 1:06 PM
My group sings songs which are in large part black spiritual or blues, and they are tremendously uplifting. I did not see baldi post a criticism of the way the singer approached the event. If I missed it, I retract my questions.
a capella on July 2, 2008 at 1:08 PM
If you’ve asked me a question here about contracts or any of that, I won’t bother answering because truth is self-evident.
If, however, you want to know about the so-called Black National Anthem, click the trackback or my name.
Or keep riffing on “many national anthems” and creating ridiculous ahistorical scenarios which discuss what would happen if a “white national anthem” were sung. The song has an actual history preceding the here and the now and a quick Googling would reveal it.
baldilocks on July 2, 2008 at 1:10 PM
Of course it should be noted, Keyes already lost to Obama once.
WoosterOh on July 2, 2008 at 1:11 PM
Thank you!!!
baldilocks on July 2, 2008 at 1:11 PM
Round Rock, perchance?
misterpeasea on July 2, 2008 at 1:11 PM
So it’s the strawman arguments you object to? Otherwise, just because a song has history doesn’t mean you can replace the national anthem with it and not expect backlash.
aero on July 2, 2008 at 1:12 PM
Yes. We choose conservative representation at all levels of government here, but I am still shocked to find myself surrounded by flaming libs. I know they’re in the minority where I live based on how the majority consistently votes, but every time I go out to a social function with people I’ve met in the neighborhood, they always talk politics and they’re always adamant liberals. You can usually tell the conservatives by their uncomfortable silence and/or attempts to change the subject. I don’t get it.
aero on July 2, 2008 at 1:15 PM
I keep the radio low, especially in the warm weather when the windows are open. I never discuss politics outside of my own house, or at one friend’s. True story.
JiangxiDad on July 2, 2008 at 1:19 PM
Yes
I was quite clear in what I objected to and do not object to, so I don’t see to repeat myself.
baldilocks on July 2, 2008 at 1:21 PM
I’m still not clear on your position regarding the appropriateness of what she did. Do you feel what she did was wrong?
a capella on July 2, 2008 at 1:22 PM
I don’t see the need to repeat myself.
baldilocks on July 2, 2008 at 1:22 PM
Ha! I’m just a “stone’s throw” away!
RushBaby on July 2, 2008 at 1:24 PM
Actually, it wasn’t clear and still isn’t. I’m really sorry for my denseness – I’m honestly not trying to be a jerk. You object to strawman arguments; I get that. Do you or do you not object to the singer replacing the lyrics of the national anthem with this other song? You said you thought it wasn’t the right time or place, but that doesn’t really answer the question. Are you offended by her statement afterwards that her intent was to make a negative, racially-charged statement about her opinion of the United States and its real national anthem? As I said before, it’s not knee-jerk to be offended when offense is intended.
I, and I suspect many others here, value your opinion and rely to some degree on your perspective as a black woman and a reasonable, thinking person to give us some understanding of what it’s like to be a black conservative. Please don’t be offended by our particular interest in your take on this.
aero on July 2, 2008 at 1:31 PM
Howdy, neighbor! :-)
aero on July 2, 2008 at 1:33 PM
When did it become a “protest song?”
baldilocks on July 2, 2008 at 12:03 PM
Tuesday morning, July 1, 2008, at Denver’s State of the City address. And its new status as a symbol was created singlehandedly by an individual named Rene Marie:
Not by the commenters at Hot Air.
RushBaby on July 2, 2008 at 1:33 PM
Geez! Go here Read This!
Oldnuke on July 2, 2008 at 1:34 PM
Answer.
baldilocks on July 2, 2008 at 1:35 PM
Baldilocks is all over the place.
She says it has been called the “Black National Anthem”, so it is not knee jerk to say it here. She never says that on posts here, but she says it on her site, and she feels no need to say it here.
I guess she should be pissed at blacks that have hijacked it for their cause, like Jihadist that hijack the work Jihad. Once it has been hijacked, hard to get the originally thought into the word/song back.
WoosterOh on July 2, 2008 at 1:35 PM
I live in Austin too, and I know all about the political closet. My workplace is full of moonbats.
Sekhmet on July 2, 2008 at 1:37 PM
This is the only post I can find which might be the one to which you are referring. Without beating it to death, I’d like to pin you down a bit more on what you meant by the first sentence. Was the intent to deceive and exploit opportunity wrong, or just inappropriate for the time and place?
a capella on July 2, 2008 at 1:37 PM
I think everyone would of not been upset if she sang “Amazing Grace”, but we should of been. I would hope we would of questioned her choice of songs instead of singing the song she was suppose to sing.
WoosterOh on July 2, 2008 at 1:37 PM
Quite a bit more than “not appropriate.” Even more wrong than “inartful.”
Insulting and intentionally provocative, by the singer’s own admission. If you don’t get that, then you don’t get it.
JiangxiDad on July 2, 2008 at 1:37 PM
I for one do not welcome my Rene Marie Overlord.
baldilocks on July 2, 2008 at 1:38 PM
cough
baldilocks on July 2, 2008 at 1:38 PM
cough
baldilocks on July 2, 2008 at 1:41 PM
Hey, that’s 3 Hot Air types in North Austin and northern suburbs (Me being in north Austin).
Anybody hittin Volente Beach for the 4th?
Sekhmet on July 2, 2008 at 1:41 PM
Good ol’ “silent majority.” Our politeness and/or unwillingness to be drawn into political arguments in public gives the libs the mistaken impression that they are in the majority or that we agree with them because we don’t tear them to rhetorical shreds in front of their friends. My husband’s coworkers have no idea he’s a conservative. They’re all liberal; they talk politics all the time at work and at lunch; he never says a word; and they’ve never asked what he thought (doesn’t matter to them). He doesn’t tell them because he doesn’t want to embarrass them for talking so much smack about his beliefs all this time. And he doesn’t want to be made into the lone voice of conservatism-slash-punching bag for them to target during these daily discussions.
aero on July 2, 2008 at 1:41 PM
I should also say that reading baldilocks blogs, she does blame Marie for hijacking the song, but blames us for our ignorance to the original meaning of the song, which I still dont know the original meaning of the song.
When you march till victory is won, does not sound to inclusive to me.
WoosterOh on July 2, 2008 at 1:43 PM
Sorry, baldi. Didn’t realize your answer was off-site. If you pointed us to your blog post earlier and I missed it, I apologize for badgering you. Why didn’t you just cut-n-paste the pertinent bits from your post here? I don’t think AP & Ed would’ve minded.
aero on July 2, 2008 at 1:48 PM
You’re a liar.
You’re a liar by omission.
baldilocks on July 2, 2008 at 1:48 PM
Ditto for me. And I don’t want my young kids ostracized. My 11 year-old daughter mentioned in class that the lack of sunspot activity might be correlated with global cooling. She was met with icy silence.
We had to have a serious conversation about the (political) facts of life.
JiangxiDad on July 2, 2008 at 1:48 PM
No worries.
baldilocks on July 2, 2008 at 1:50 PM
Did it. Any more orders General?
JiangxiDad on July 2, 2008 at 1:50 PM
Well we know that not everyone clicks all the links in the original posts, moi included, so let’s just go ahead and post the lyrics to “Lift Ev’ry Voice & Sing”.
RushBaby on July 2, 2008 at 1:50 PM
I was just reading a Yahoo article about why a Stradivarius violin sounds so good.
Guess what? It’s global warming. I kid you not.
faraway on July 2, 2008 at 1:51 PM
This is another aspect of that I talked about today and that I’ve been talking about since 9/11.
baldilocks on July 2, 2008 at 1:51 PM
Hey, you’re the one who implied that I was understating the matter. What do you expect me to do?
baldilocks on July 2, 2008 at 1:54 PM
Thanks.
And for others can we please recall the times in which the song was penned. 1900.
baldilocks on July 2, 2008 at 1:55 PM
Comment.
JiangxiDad on July 2, 2008 at 1:56 PM
The Spirit of Fear, that is.
baldilocks on July 2, 2008 at 1:57 PM
Why are you repeating yourself? What does this brouhaha have to do with when the song was written, or what it means?
JiangxiDad on July 2, 2008 at 1:57 PM
denver, like my state of Arizona, is suffering from liberal-flight syndrome:
liberal voters screw-up their own state/region, flee to another part of the country and begin the same voting habits, thus screwing-up their new home.
unlike bears, liberals seem to crap where they sleep.
jimmer on July 2, 2008 at 1:59 PM
I just gave this tool a piece of my mind. Wanna do the same? rene@renemarie.com
Geronimo on July 2, 2008 at 1:59 PM
The ubertards are the Lord of the Flies young majority cruel rule gang. In any city’s paper, note the “activist wanted” classified ads. It boils down to two things; the radical revolutionary tenor of the philosophy, and the practical exercise given the podium during higher education. The choice? Either a person conserves, retains or emulates what has been proven “good” functioning tradition, or else one rebels, rants and forces others to “listen” by sign of submission to their change. Even “debate” no longer holds to tradition; debate has become a screaming match. The loudest wins all. Besides, the Enlightenment is “inauthentic” to the ubertard.
JianxiDad, Keep the left shoe on the left foot for goodness sake. You’ve again brought up the idea of dividing our nation. (Before it was N vs. S. and you expressed the idea that our democracy was doomed by our very freedom, as we discussed fascism.) Within your quote above, revisit:
As it is, Americans are accustomed to the finest Constitutional Government ever devised. The only thing we NEED is to retain the original intent as we can go about our daily life enjoying the liberties and responsibilities of citizenship. Retain rule of law. Declaring a revolt against our Constitution would be treasonous. Requiring our Constitution to be erased in favor of PC ubertard Marxism or any other counter American traditional philosophy is treasonous. My $.02
maverick muse on July 2, 2008 at 2:02 PM
I don’t actually think the lyrics or the original meaning/intent of the song are the problem for most of us. Our problem was that the woman replaced the lyrics of our nation’s anthem with these lyrics, with the express intent of offending and upsetting her audience. She was saying, “F- you, America,” and that’s what most of us are upset about. She could’ve replaced the lyrics with the Sesame Street theme song, and we would have been just as offended when she explained afterwards that her intent was to publicly refuse to sing the national anthem because she hates this racist country so much. She won’t be prosecuted or anything because this is a free country. But Denver shouldn’t pay her or ever invite her to perform at a pubic event again.
aero on July 2, 2008 at 2:02 PM
I saw this earlier on Fox and Friends.
What I want to know is why someone didn’t stop this woman and tell them to sing The National Anthem, not some made up shit.
Excuse my language, as I am tired of people changing something we all work so damned hard for for other to F@#& UP!
upinak on July 2, 2008 at 2:04 PM
…American traditional philosophy as in the Constitution.
maverick muse on July 2, 2008 at 2:05 PM
I am doing so because some–like you, apparently–are failing to think about what such a song might have meant to a people experiencing real discrimination and oppression. Mentioning the year should have been enough to evoke that history.
Um, it’s the same lyrics.
Should I repeat myself about how I feel about what this woman did? How about you let me know when I have offered enough denunciations.
baldilocks on July 2, 2008 at 2:07 PM
[a capella on July 2, 2008 at 1:08 PM]
Thanks for being polite in the feedback to my lousily phrased comment. I don’t mean to speak for B, but just for how I try very hard to see comments the way a used to see them in the old Prodigy chat forums, quick, terse, thus requiring evaluation of intent.
[write, delete, write, delete, write, delete]
It’s probably already been responded to but let me just say short and sweetly, that I had felt the beginning of her first comment “I can see that the singing was not appropriate at the place and time”, that she was on the same page with Ed’s post and most of the comments of varying agreement. Thus, she was complaining about something else entirely — the racial comparisons — which, considering the song’s lyrics, intent, and history were either not known or being overlooked or ignored to sate an emotional, and not reasonable, frustration.
Dusty on July 2, 2008 at 2:10 PM
I understand and agree. But Ed himself called the song a ‘protest song’ and a symbol of “Leftist patriotism.”
I love ya, Ed, but, this woman is using black Americans and the totems of our subculture just like Obama did when he tried to characterize TUCC and Black Liberation Theology as part of the mainstream “black church.”
baldilocks on July 2, 2008 at 2:12 PM
I wasn’t trying to be flip, or suggest that we are at this point. I was pointing out the end-point.
Also, even when I first learned about the American Revolution, I wondered if the grievances that precipitated it were in fact so egregious. Many could have argued that American colonists enjoyed substantial freedoms and a relatively decent quality of life. I haven’t studied this notion, but I’ve long considered it. Just how much injustice did the founding fathers endure?
Isn’t this what we talk about every day?
I assume you are speaking to 5 Justices on the Court, and certain liberal legislators.
JiangxiDad on July 2, 2008 at 2:13 PM
Thank God for you, Dusty.
baldilocks on July 2, 2008 at 2:14 PM
The Thunder Run has linked to this post in the – Web Reconnaissance for 07/02/2008 A short recon of what’s out there that might draw your attention, updated throughout the day…so check back often.
Thunder_Run on July 2, 2008 at 2:15 PM
If they don’t know the words to the Internationale, I’m sure their cousins over the fence can teach them the Horst Wessel song.
uptight on July 2, 2008 at 2:15 PM
[WoosterOh on July 2, 2008 at 1:37 PM]
I would have been, just as I was upset at a funeral yesterday that the organist took the liberty to not sing all of the stanzas in one song and sing stanzas of the Ave Maria that weren’t even in the specially made requiem pamphlet.
I thought about that same question earlier, too, substituting the Battle Hymn of the Republic and got mad at that, too.
Dusty on July 2, 2008 at 2:17 PM
The true meaning is now irrelevant, all that matters is she wanted to protest, so she used that song as a protest. In her world, that song is a protest song.
Once it is perverted, you cant take it back, like many things in this world that has been perverted by a group.
WoosterOh on July 2, 2008 at 2:18 PM
You’re not there yet. You’re focused on something other than what most people here are talking about.
If Ed mischaracterized the nature of the lyrics or intention, or history of the song, you’ve called him out on in, and now he can respond if he sees fit.
For me, and some others here, the issue is her decision to not sing the national anthem, and why– not what she did when she wasn’t singing it.
JiangxiDad on July 2, 2008 at 2:18 PM
Rene Marie does not hold a monopoly on music appreciation. We all know American and international folk songs. Most of us in the 60’s-70s grew up singing “We are marching to Pretoria.”
I’m with you, and you’re with me,
And so we are all together,
So, we are all together,
So, we are all together.
Sing with me, I’ll sing with you,
And so we will sing together
As we march along.
We are marching to Pretoria! Pretoria! Pretoria!
We are marching to Pretoria! Pretoria! HOORAH!
Having fond affection for a song or feeling a spiritual identity with it does not give one the right to supplant it for our national anthem at a civic function. We are not playing musical chairs with the national anthem.
maverick muse on July 2, 2008 at 2:23 PM
baldi, I have always respected your opinion and even posted that to you some time back. But, you are being a bit petty here. If you expect to call people ignorant on this blog then offer explanations on your own blog for the comment here, and refuse to post anything here but a cryptic grunt when asked to clarify, everyone wonders what the hell is going on. I read your blog almost every day,..didn’t today, so was completely in the dark. Using both blogs for a conversation gets confusing. You know that, but got a little huffy because you were challenged. Remember, we wouldn’t ask for your opinion if we didn’t respect it. Likewise, a little more detail when making comments on HA might be helpful.
a capella on July 2, 2008 at 2:23 PM
Yes. That’s been the source of the confusion. It took me forever to figure out we were having two different conversations.
aero on July 2, 2008 at 2:25 PM
There will never enought denunciations offered for those ruled by the Spirit of Fear.
Wrong.
Do you not know what a trackback is? It was there before you addressed what I said.
Yes I know that and if I’m addressing something that you’re not discussing, what’s it to you? If the rock didn’t hit you, don’t yelp.
baldilocks on July 2, 2008 at 2:26 PM
There will never enought=There will never be enough
baldilocks on July 2, 2008 at 2:26 PM
Sing “Dixie” at a NAACP convention, and see what happens.
Same thing here. Racist song by a racist leftus.
madmonkphotog on July 2, 2008 at 2:29 PM
Classy.
JiangxiDad on July 2, 2008 at 2:29 PM
What this woman did is symbolic of the Rev. Wright’s church and other movements.
I said before, and I repeat, Mr. and Mrs. Obama will do more to set race relations back, win or lose, than anyone in the last 30 years, and damaging the enormous progress that was made.
If Obama wins there will be hell to pay.
If Obama loses there will be hell to pay.
No one should underestimate this.
Entelechy on July 2, 2008 at 2:31 PM
O.K., I’m fine with it. Just a difference in interpetation. No problemo. It’s bothersome when I get off the same wave length as baldi.
a capella on July 2, 2008 at 2:31 PM
I’d bet that the protest song part of Ed’s post whizzed right over most readers heads or that they just took it at face value. I’m pretty old and I have to admit ignorance of the song. Don’t think I’ve ever heard it, don’t recall ever hearing about it. Your response to this thread was seemingly out of character so I was a little confused too. But, as soon as I browsed on over to your blog and read your entry there all became clear and as it turned out your response wasn’t out of character at all. I do sense a little sadness in you about this or maybe a little bitterness. Hope I’m wrong about that or that it passes soon without leaving a scar. I’d like to think that this lady could give Rene Marie a lesson in style, grace and character. She’ll certainly be remembered long after Ms. Marie’s name fades into obscurity.
Oldnuke on July 2, 2008 at 2:31 PM
My Ex-in-Texas practices law in Round Rock. She’s one of those liberals, unfortunately.
misterpeasea on July 2, 2008 at 2:32 PM
There is no way in hell that Obama can call this woman’s action “inartful”.
This is also just the beginning.
Entelechy on July 2, 2008 at 2:32 PM
I’m just 45 miles northwest of you. And my Ex-in-Texas lives in Round Rock also.
txsurveyor on July 2, 2008 at 2:36 PM
Where do you live now? Come on down here to “visit her” and visit us instead!
RushBaby on July 2, 2008 at 2:37 PM
Uh oh. Hope I’m not conversing with my ex on Hot Air.
txsurveyor on July 2, 2008 at 2:37 PM
Lozenges are below the Advil, aisle seven at the pharmacy department.
carbon_footprint on July 2, 2008 at 2:39 PM
baldi,
You should take it as a huge compliment that so many people want to know what you think and that we assume your communication skills will be well above average. The fact that so many of us got confused and took your relatively poor communication in this particular thread to be an aberration speaks well of your more typical excellent communication skills and clear thinking. :-)
aero on July 2, 2008 at 2:40 PM
I put up a trackback, put up a statement explicitly saying
Thank you. I appreciate these things so let me spell things out further.
I didn’t get huffy because I was challenged.
I got huffy because I’m tired of having everything I’ve taken for granted–including African heritage and loyalty to America–questioned; not just today but pretty much since Obama came on the scene.
I got huffy because I’m tired of those of my color who take those things and pervert them.
I got huffy because I’m tired of explaining these things over and over again in the same thread and still having to explain a third time and being told by so-called conservatives, so-called subscribers to the principle of individualism, that I can “never denounce persons like Marie enough.”
And I apologize if I took that fatigue out on you. Forgive my narcissism.
baldilocks on July 2, 2008 at 2:43 PM
Thank you.
baldilocks on July 2, 2008 at 2:44 PM
Alarming! D’ya think she would pick a nic like Dave_Rywall?
RushBaby on July 2, 2008 at 2:47 PM
I suppose you misspoke in your last comment, or you just don’t include me in your apology.
JiangxiDad on July 2, 2008 at 2:50 PM
People’s Republic of Portland, unfortunately.
Good idea, but I’d visit her too. Her assets far outweigh her liabilities.
It’d be August, when it’s nice and scorching.
misterpeasea on July 2, 2008 at 2:50 PM
Baldi, many here like you and your sound judgement. I don’t care about the color of your skin… it makes no difference in what type of person you are. It is how you conduct yourself.
You are a True American! That is all that needs to be noted.
upinak on July 2, 2008 at 2:50 PM
{{{baldilocks}}}
I for one appreciate you taking the time to participate in this thread and let us draw out your thoughts. I’m embarrassed to say it, but I scroll right past the trackbacks. Always have, being in a rush to see what’s going on below.
Thank you, and please accept my affection and deep respect for your viewpoint.
RushBaby on July 2, 2008 at 2:52 PM
The second option is correct.
baldilocks on July 2, 2008 at 2:53 PM
Regardless of the beauty of the words, this lady was totally out of line. She refuses to apologize, the mayor refuses to condemn, the city is burying its head and America is experiencing similar affronts all over the country.
What the hell have we wrought.
eaglesdontflock on July 2, 2008 at 2:54 PM
BTW, JiangxiDad, my ‘thank you’ directed at you was sarcasm. I know that you didn’t really mean that this statement by me to you:
was “classy.”
baldilocks on July 2, 2008 at 2:57 PM
[baldilocks on July 2, 2008 at 2:14 PM]
Everything takes me a while and it took me a minute or two to understand when I fist saw your comment, which was actually the second, ambiguous one.
Casually, I believe your and my outlook on life and liberty as being close to identical and that belief is the result of my effort to discern the common ground. As such, it will take me time to remember that our pronunciation of the refrains to the same stanzas will be different, owing not just to the different states we grew up in, (mine’s the American no-accent accent part of NY :-) live in but also to our upbringing, ethnicity, cultural, life experiences that we bring to the celebration. Each harkens their favorite example or way. Sometimes I forget it while rushing to react.
Not that it matters but a lot but I would appreciate you clarifying one thing. Which was the greater source of frustration prompting you to comment, the inaccurate racial comparisons or the inaccurate understanding of the song’s lyrics, intent, and history? [That's a test.] I ask because you beat me to posting a comment pointing out a some minor improper grammar thingy a short time ago, so now I picture you a major anally retentive accuracy and precivity [sic] competitor of mine and I have this irresistible urge to confirm that I have pigeon-holed you accurately and precisely.
Dusty on July 2, 2008 at 3:00 PM
.
That sort of thing does build character though. I recall fondly the days when I used to get ostracized or punished in school for standing up for what I believe in, such as the superiority of capitalism over socialism, the lie that was global cooling (you read that right), how awesome our military was, etc. Sad thing was, it was often the teachers that were against me.
Think_b4_speaking on July 2, 2008 at 3:00 PM
Of course what you said to me wasn’t classy. It was snide and snotty and rude–like you’ve been in this thread. I call you on it and you don’t like it. That’s too bad.
JiangxiDad on July 2, 2008 at 3:00 PM
No apology required and you aren’t a narcissist. We are fortunate to have you here, and most of us recognize the pain something like this causes you. I feel the same way when Fred Phelps takes his family to military funerals. Embarrassed and frustrated.
a capella on July 2, 2008 at 3:01 PM
Two things:
Does this mean you and Bambi are kinfolks?
I read the last line of the song, “True to our native land,” and wondered if Johnson meant America or Africa. And then I thought, surely America: my impression is that generally, the general opinion of blacks in America seems to have an inverse relationship with the treatment they receive in America.
And then I wondered if Marie thought it meant America or Africa.
misterpeasea on July 2, 2008 at 3:03 PM
yeah, her school tried to get us to buy some natural fabric shopping bag with the schools’ name on it, followed by “goes green.”
We had to politely decline, but we were the only ones. She’s tough, and has learned to swim against the tide.
JiangxiDad on July 2, 2008 at 3:05 PM
Folks who are trying to get it: thank you. All I’m trying do is explain it.
I’ve been asked to write about race within the race. I’m still having a debate with myself as to whether this is needed, but this sort of incident points me toward ‘yes.’ And not an Obama-type discussion, but a real one.
baldilocks on July 2, 2008 at 3:08 PM
No the would never do that as the Irish are solid Americans, but there’s nothing like hearing a good O’le Irish tune about love, life, whiskey and Guiness!
Liberty or Death on July 2, 2008 at 3:12 PM
Hey, the rock didn’t hit me, but I yelped because it came from an unexpected direction.
I forgive the snippiness because I understand the fatigue of which she speaks. Not to the extent of always being the only black conservative in the room and having everyone look to me to explain the bad behavior of everyone who shares my skin color, but to the extent of often being the only conservative in the room and therefore being expected to answer for or justify bad behavior or poor decisions by Republican leadership. It’s part of why I just stay in the political closet most of the time, as we discussed above. I’m sure sometimes baldi wishes we didn’t all know she’s black so we wouldn’t all immediately look for her when the race threads start up.
aero on July 2, 2008 at 3:12 PM
Both equally; they’re inseparable.
You caught me. LOL.
baldilocks on July 2, 2008 at 3:15 PM
Naah, my ex is a moonbat hipster-wannabee who lives on the south side
Sekhmet on July 2, 2008 at 3:15 PM
Man, I go away for lunch and y’all start sounding like a bunch of girls.
Akzed on July 2, 2008 at 3:16 PM
Well she apologized to you for her snippiness. It’s only fair for you to forgive.
I don’t look to Baldi for any explanation about life. She has her perspective to add. I throw it in the mix and create my own explanations. If she’s cranky, she will have to deal with it, as we all do.
JiangxiDad on July 2, 2008 at 3:17 PM
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