My Fear With Obama

As exciting as it is to see Obama as the Democratic nominee, and to hope that the White House can be occupied by a Democrat for the next 4 years, I am also worried about one thing before we make it to January. I don't know anyone who would want any more of George W. Bush, except George W. Bush.

With the Presidential directive released on May 9th, 2007, Bush declares that in the event of a “Catastrophic Emergency”, the President will be entrusted with leading the activities to ensure constitutional government. The language in this directive would in effect make the President a dictator in the case of such an emergency.

My concern is that in all this excitement, the elephant in the room is and has always been the fear of assassination attempts on Barack Obama. As horrible as that thought is, what is even more disconcerting is the idea that if an attempt were even taken on Obama, it would be serious enough to enact the Presidential Directive. If there was an attempt, there would be outrage among the black community all around the country, perhaps the world. The fear of riots, destruction, violence, and chaos would be too much to chance. It's extremely likely that Martial Law would be initiated, and George Bush would the one in charge. There would be no election. It would be postponed. The isolated act of an attempt on Obama is not the key—perhaps the catalyst—but the activity that would ensue is the real spark. The anger, outrage, and disgust that black americans would feel on the heels of such a great moment in history would be elevated to a level that would create a nationwide scene of fear, and uncertainty as to the state of race relations in this country. This would be the Rodney King verdict times ten.

So it's so very important that the security detail for Obama be more vigilant and detailed than ever before. This is not just about protecting the black guy, this is about protecting all our freedoms, and bidding farewell to George W. Bush come January.

A Black President

This topic was addressed briefly the other day by Tom Leykis. I didn't hear the whole thing but heard enough to want to write this.

It's a sign of progress that we have a woman and an African American running for President. It's a true sign that the times are changing. They may be changing slowly, but they're changing.

If Obama—who currently is looking strong from the numbers—becomes the next President of the United States, do you think his safety is going to become a bigger task than the Secret Service has had to deal with before?

IF Barack Obama wins the presidency, it will be a first for African Americans. It's a BIG deal—as it would be if Hillary Clinton won. But I guess my question is, do you think that Barack Obama as president would require a significant increase in security? It's no secret that there are a plethora of folks in this country who would just feel sick knowing a black man is leading the country. Could this be enough to create a pool of 'sleeper' assasins, that would go for broke to kill the first black president? There are people who travel in those circles where actions like that would be lauded.

Do you think that in addition to the safety of the president that also white supremacist groups would in turn also increase their violent activity and start targeting blacks in general as a rebellious gesture? I can only imagine that incidences of random attacks would increase. Ku Klux Klan rallys would increase and Skinheads would become more vocal and belligerent.

You tell me, how legitimate of a concern do you think this is?