As always, my mail bag is bulging (no hetero). Here’s what some of it says:

I hear you on Fox News saying that people who attend the town hall meetings to oppose Obamacare are racist? Are you really that stupid?

Thanks for that awesome question! No, I didn’t say that. And, no, I’m not (quite) that stupid. It would, of course, be unreasonable to suggest that everyone who opposes a Black president is racist. From where I sit, however, the only ones offering such a straw argument are those who are unwilling to acknowledge the clear racism that comes from particular pockets of political opposition.

I did, however, say that there is a racial undertone to many of the meetings that I’ve seen. In addition to the use of racially coded language, many of the attendees have brought paraphernalia that prominently display the N-word, swastikas, and other not-so-subtle symbols of racial hatred. While this doesn’t represent the majority of crowds –most people have sincere, though misguided, critiques of the President’s reform project–  it definitely creates an almost palpable sense of racial animus at the events. To ignore this is to covet post-raciality at the expense of reality.

Michael Vick has just signed with the Philadelphia Eagles. What the hell were they thinking?

From a purely football perspective, this pick makes perfect sense. The Eagles were able to obtain the best backup quarterback in football at a bargain basement price. While some may overestimate the amount of punch he can add to the Eagles rigid pass offense, he’ll be a great insurance policy for Donovan McNabb, who regularly misses games due to injury. This opportunity also allows Vick to learn from McNabb and coach Andy Reid, who can teach him to read defenses and develop discipline in the pocket. If he’s rehabilitated, and I believe he is, the Eagles can trade him at the end of the season for a valuable piece. From a broader social perspective, the signing is a reminder that everyone deserves a second chance. Vick’s behavior was inexcusable, but he has paid his debt to society. Now it’s time to let him return to his chosen profession and earn his keep.

After hearing you talk, I’m convinced that someone like you could never have a real Ph.D. Did you even attend graduate school?

Thank you for that sincere and penetrating question. In all honesty, I only use “Dr.” for commercial purposes, sort of like “Dr. Pepper” or “Dr. Dre.” I do, however, hold honorary doctorates from the most prestigious schools in Venezuela, Iran, and Kenya, where I’m sure you believe our president was born. Please don’t tell anyone!

Between the Government and the People
By Mumia Abu-Jamal

As democratic forces mobilize in response to the suspicions resulting from the recent Iranian presidential election, they are meeting repression from a government that is fueled by the twin forces of paranoia and theocracy.

The Iranian government is paranoid not because they are crazy, but because many remember the U.S. and British supported coup that led to the installment of the dictatorship of the Shah in 1953, and also more recent support for the Iraqis (during the time of Saddam Hussein, btw) when both countries lost nearly a million people during what came to be called ‘The War of the Cities’, in the ’80’s.

And although the corporate media has pronounced the notion ‘loony’ that the U.S. has supported the anti-government protests, in truth the U.S. has supported anti-government terrorism against Iran, chiefly via CIA funding and support for the Baluchis, an Iranian national minority group which comprises some 2% of the population, and which seeks independence.

Those ways of thinking informs their view of the broader, democratic movement, which may reflect the sentiments, not so much of an Iranian ethnic minority, but of Iran’s youth – a percentage approaching half of the country’s population.

The second force, theocracy, is the very foundation of the government, which is seen in the formal name of the country: Islamic Republic of Iran.

That feature, the rule of the clerics, makes all internal conflicts both religious and political, and therein lies the danger.

As Europe has shown for hundreds of years, few wars are more brutal than religious wars. For centuries, the Catholic Church waged wars against unbelief, against innovation, against women, and through the Crusades, against Islam. And although the church won many battles, it lost many wars, such as the war against science, where it sent the astronomer, Galileo, to prison for contending that the earth revolved around the sun — not the reverse.

Let us not act as if we’ve not seen this before, when theocracies tortured bodies, brutalized people, in the name of faith. Have we not seen democracies do the same, in furtherance of the faith in profit — as the U.S. in Iraq?

Iranians must decide the form their government will take: not the U.S., nor the British.

The Iranian people will decide whether the ungodly repression they face will stall them, or spur them on to demand more than the change of faces at the top.

–(c) ‘09 maj

Today’s video of the day comes from the O’Reilly Factor, where Bill and I discussed the racial dimensions of the town hall meetings on health care.

Today’s video of the day shows Michael Vick’s 60 Minutes interview from this past weekend. While some of his responses seem more scripted than sincere, I have no doubt that Vick has paid a considerable (perhaps even excessive) debt to society. Hopefully, his stint with my Philadelphia Eagles will repair his image and provide him with the necessary discipline –athletic and otherwise– to move forward successfully.

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