American History

Win, lose, or draw, history was made tonight with the nomination of Barack Obama, the first African American to be nominated for president by a major party. I fully understand that such a status does not automatically qualify him for that job, or any job. I get that.

Congratulations.

I am proud to be an American, a Democrat, and an Obama supporter (with cash to back up that statement). At this point, I will not launch into an array of reasons for my supporting him (but one reason is rhetoric: I obvously believe in the power of words). Besides, my opinion is unlikely to change anyone's views. But picture me, an old white guy, backing this galvanizer -- and I'm not expected to be in the demographic of his supporters.

Congratulations, Senator Obama.

For the most part, this blog avoids overt political discussion. But at times such avoidance verges on the immoral.

Case in point: I am morally bound to ask:

why did the American media make so little of nearly 100 civilians, including an estimated 50 children, allegedly dying recently from an American airstrike in Afghanistan? Even if the allegation proves to be wrong, my God, can you imagine if it was one blond, blue-eyed child in Santa Barbara, California, or Greenwich, Connecticut, or Omaha, Nebraska, who died from an airstrike by occupiers of our land, however well-intentioned ? Can you imagine the cable chatter? American TV gushes more about somebody's Olympic bronze medal (that's an assumption; I didn't watch the Olympics) than the death of innocents, even if accidental, even if not by our forces, even if . . . .

We seem blind to the rest of the world, obtuse, as evidenced by a stroll through news coverage at The Guardian or Der Spiegel or the BBC.