It is a great day in history.

[Swimmy]

I agree about the disgrace "comment" sections. It would not be a problem if the paper was truly interested in informed and civil discussion. But with their biased decision making, the current product is a result that they obviously wanted. I think it is disgusting to read some of those comments. And many of my comments, though based in fact, disappear without explanation. The disgrace comment sections have gone by the wayside of the syracuse forums at Syracuse website. They are so spiteful and disgusting. Discussion would be so much more productive if the vitriol of people like scott peterman were removed and only meaningful dialog allowed.

[Clipper]

That is why I should be ashamed of myself for going to the OD comment section and messing with them. I would delete and ban anyone that did that here. MY BAD. It just is so tempting, when they deleted and banned me for so long after the old forum went away, simply because we advertised this forum on their page, and because many of us from our forum here at the corner, called them out on their moderation decisions.

To this day, I have to register my Gmail account DAILY in order to post to their comment section, go through the forgotten password routine, and receive their email reset of my password before I can post. I don't know if that is a purposeful deal to mess with me, or just a crappy setup that they use for their comment section. I can't even register there with hotmail or yahoo accounts or my web providers home email provider, charter.net.

I can't help myself, or prevent myself from posting when all the negativity about blacks being to blame for all the city's ills, or just plain doom and gloom about the city I love, begins.

I guess if I won't allow that here, I should refrain from doing it there huh? When they started messing with you, I increased my messing with them. You were one of the most frequent and most well informed contributors to that mess. Not only that, but they pissed me off when they started deleting some of my posts that were in no way a violation of their T.O.S.

[Swimmy]

It is always fun to stir the pot there because it's so easy.

[lilbump1980]

I did not vote for Obama, I voted for McCain. I must say though Obama is a great speaker, and motivater. His speech was great! I hope he does well in this presidency. I hope all youths look up at him.

[frankcor]

I'd like to get other's reactions to this column that appeared in the OD on January 18:

Dreaming of a better tomorrow

The following words of the author, Craig Grant, rubbed me really really wrong:

New ideas will be introduced to a nation that has been indoctrinated by a Jim Crow mindset that reduced black people to subservient levels and recognized them as second-class citizens.

Excuse me? Is he ignoring the past 60 years of our history: the history of my lifetime? Our nation is no more indoctrinated by a Jim Crow mindset than it is indoctrinated in slavery.

I believe Mr. Grant, an officer of the Oneida County NAACP, is clinging to racism and segregation for without those evils from our past, his organization is irrelevant. It's hard for me to believe anything else that he writes about a future when he so vested in the past.

Or am I missing something here?

[Clipper]

Talk about a misguided sense of entitlement. This dumbass dares to say that the election of Barrack Obama is but a downpayment on the proverbial promissory note that whites owe black Americans? Yeah right! That is paving the way for a wonderful process of unification of the races. The black community has my support and my sympathy on some issues, but as far as WE OWE them for our ancestors mistakes and wrong doing, I don't OWE anyone shit.

Now THERE is a statement that will really build some bridges between the races. I think it is a great day in the lives of black people, but this jerk thinks it is literally payback time.

I didn't vote for Obama but I think he is capable of doing the job. I have noticed that Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton have not been front and center in all the activities of the last few days. I hope that it is a sign that those two racist bastards are not on Obama's Fav Five on his cell phone. I hope also that the old fart that prayed that the "yellow would be mellow and the red would get ahead" and all that shit, doesn't become regular face in the news either. He sounded like man with issues that would not be fostering racial unity either. He marched with MLK, but he sounded like he was little more radical, and less tolerant than MLK.

Time will tell if Obama is going to cut the mustard. He has the intellect, and he sure has the balls. Let's see if he can muster the support to make a difference. God bless him and guide him through this mess.

[dgriffin]

Clipper wrote:
" I tend to get overly exuberant and emotional when I write, and everyone knows I am terribly opinionated and sometimes close minded."

If we weren't that way sometimes, we'd be writing church newsletters instead of writing on an Internet forum.

Of course, I'm (mostly) NEVER opinionated or close minded. I believe the only person who thinks so about me is Mrs. Dave. Two strong personalities, we have to give in to each other at times. So we've devised a schedule. She's the boss on weekends and I'm the boss on weekdays. Or is it the other way around? What's saved our marriage is that we can never remember whose turn it is.

[Clipper]

I reside with a wonderful and loving partner with whom arguing is usually futile anyhow, so I usually end any discussions with "OK, whatever" and let it go at that. Should any issues of REAL importance come to light, that actually deserve a strong defense, I will muster my energies and fight like hell, but in the mean time, residing with a lovely, but hard headed polack, leaves me with little choice but to shake my head, concede victory to HER, and carry on, hahahaha!

Actually, as I have said before, we have miraculously lived together for over12 years and have never had a serious argument, and have never gone to bed mad at each other. That has made our relationship a peaceful and loving thing that we both are comfortable with. We bicker and snipe at each other, just as most couple do, but we DO NOT fight and argue. There is ALWAYS a solution to an argument, and we both seem able to concede when we are wrong. I attribute that to the wisdom that comes with age.

I just find it absolutely inconceivable that Mrs. Dave could possibly perceive you as opinionated or close minded. How could she be so misinformed?

[Ralph]

That article really surprised me. I know Craig and worked with him when I was with the HOC. I also worked with him on quite a few things in the community as well as the YWCA's Racial Justice Workshops.

This thinking was the one thing I never agreed with him on as in my mind it holds to much to the past and won't allow for MLK's dream to truly flourish.

But the overall tone of that piece is appalling in some respects. This does nothing to foster acceptance of anyone and certainly does more to push folks continue in a racist vein than anything else.

[frankcor]

Thanks for your insight, Ralph. That article still bothers me days later. From what I have read about Craig, he seems to be a reasonable man. I am considering writing to him and starting a dialog -- I want to better understand his point of view. I can't address something that I can't understand.

[dgriffin]

Jan 22, 2009 17:38:19 GMT -5 frankcor said:

I'd like to get other's reactions to this column that appeared in the OD on January 18:

Dreaming of a better tomorrow

The following words of the author, Craig Grant, rubbed me really really wrong:

New ideas will be introduced to a nation that has been indoctrinated by a Jim Crow mindset that reduced black people to subservient levels and recognized them as second-class citizens.

Excuse me? Is he ignoring the past 60 years of our history: the history of my lifetime? Our nation is no more indoctrinated by a Jim Crow mindset than it is indoctrinated in slavery.

I believe Mr. Grant, an officer of the Oneida County NAACP, is clinging to racism and segregation for without those evils from our past, his organization is irrelevant. It's hard for me to believe anything else that he writes about a future when he so vested in the past.

Or am I missing something here?

Luckily, this is still America (for the foreseeable future, at least) and each person is entitled to his opinion, even Craig Grant. However, that opinion will not serve him or any of us well. It is divisive. But I would not be surprised if there were more heads nodding in agreement to his statements than I had previously believed.

I've been hearing similar comments in the national media and they are bothersome. Let's hope the election of Obama, who I did not vote for, but who I do support as our President, will not fan the flames of racism on the part of both blacks and whites.

[Ralph]

Craig is really a great guy and would probably appreciate the dialog.
I don't share the same point of view as his article reflects, but have heard the sentiment expressed by many of color.

If it had been last year or during the last generation I might be able to understand it more, but it has been so many years and generations removed that it (in my mind) has become a moot point.

To me it is nothing more than a continual picking a scab on a healing wound and making it bleed all over again.

But as one has said, I guess you have to have walked a mile in their shoes before any of us can really comprehend what they have gone through.

[Swimmy]

Jan 25, 2009 2:18:09 GMT -5 Ralph said:

If it had been last year or during the last generation I might be able to understand it more, but it has been so many years and generations removed that it (in my mind) has become a moot point.

I too think it's a moot issue.

Jan 25, 2009 2:18:09 GMT -5 Ralph said:

But as one has said, I guess you have to have walked a mile in their shoes before any of us can really comprehend what they have gone through.

I guess.

[dgriffin]

I wish jrcummings was around to help us here. He hasn't logged on since the end of October. I hope he's OK and not too deep in the action.

Anyway, I think blacks in America today are going to have a hard time keeping their position in the public sphere ... maybe I should call it the media sphere ... given the increase in the amount of other races and/or nationalities. Hispanics/Latinos either have or will soon eclipse the black population in numbers, I've read. And as politicians pander to their new constituencies, their blather will cater to the interests of the new majority ... or the new swing voter set