I Refuse to Be Invisible; I Will Not Be Silenced.

On election night I followed the returns on The Confluence. I simply couldn’t stand to watch television or even listen to Fox News on my XM radio receiver. Watching the electoral votes pile up for Barack Obama, I just felt numb. I went to sleep knowing that I cannot do what I did after Reagan was elected or after the debacle in 2000.

Back in the ’80s, I simply shut off the media and ignored politics completely. I went into my shell, read books, went to movies and just tried to stay sane as my country was dismantled before my eyes. Even though I tried not to pay attention to what was happening in Washington D.C., I saw the results of Reagan’s policies as homeless people appeared in the streets of Boston and surrounding towns. Early in the morning, even in the dead of winter, I saw people sleeping in their cars in a Star Market parking lot in Porter Square and a big open space next to Memorial Drive near Harvard Square.

After the debacle in Florida in 2000 and George W. Bush’s appointment by the Supreme Court, I again shut of the TV and refused to read newspapers for awhile. But this time I couldn’t shut it all out. What was happening was just too scary. Especially fter 9/11, I had to pay attention. What I saw was a bloodless coup by large, multinational corporations. I realized that my country was really an oligarchy now. Elections are only a pretense, a sop to the masses to make us feel as if we actually have something to say about what happens in our country.

Yesterday, I woke up feeling metaphorically bruised and beaten, almost in shock. Before I left home I felt I might begin crying and never stop; but I had to work for most of the day–standing in front of earnest, naive young people–and do my best to communicate with them. I had to pull myself together and hold in my emotions until the day was over. Somehow I managed to do it. I don’t think my anger and despair were evident to those around me.

Finally, at 6PM, I climbed into my car and dissolved in tears, not about the results of the election–neither result would have made me happy or confident about the future of my country. I cried because of the hatred that had been cynically unleashed in the media and on the campaign trail–the deliberate use of race-baiting, misogyny, and homophobia that were used as tools to win the election. These hateful genies will not soon be put back in the bottle.

I wish that I could feel joy that an African American man has been elected President of the U.S. But after eight years of being at the mercy of a pathological narcissist and his keeper, Dick Cheney, I have simply become too cynical to celebrate an event that is designed to paper over the hundreds of years of struggle and injustice that African Americans have suffered. Obama’s ascension to the presidency will be used to shut down any further attempts to help poor and working class African Americans achieve true equality.

Our new President, Barack Obama, is such an arrogant preening narcissist that he makes George W. Bush look modest in comparison. And his keeper, Joe Biden (the new Dick Cheney) is the man who savaged Anita Hill and put Clarence Thomas on the Supreme Court. He is a wholly owned subsidiary of the credit card industry and the author and champion of the disastrous bankruptcy bill.

As far as I can see, the Obama presidency will simply be a continuation of the work that Reagan began and George W. Bush successfully advanced–the transfer of our collective national resources and wealth to private individuals and corporations and the dismantling of the New Deal programs along with continued neglect of our national infrastructure. The liberal goal of social justice will be a distant dream. I haven’t seen anything during the campaign or in Obama’s history that gives me hope that he will advance the cause of social justice for African Americans or another other group–certainly not women. I expect the Obama administration to continue to invade the privacy of Americans and to work closely with the media to suppress dissent and even criticism of administration policies.

During my free moments yesterday I tried to jot down my feelings. I felt so confused that my head was a “ball of confusion.” I still haven’t sorted it all out. How do I feel? Well, yesterday I felt despairing, but I’m beginning to move past that I think. I feel angry, frustrated, and at the same time curious about what will happen next, and determined to stay fully awake and aware and conscious of what is happening in the political sphere.

I know that I am still a happy person, separate from this particular event. I won’t let it knock me into depression–although that has happened in the past. I still feel so fortunate to be who I am, to have this life, and to have my family and friends. I feel so lucky that I have had the opportunity to go back to school and get an advanced education. Although I am poor in terms of income, I have a nice place to live and I have resources, intelligence, experience, and knowledge. I’m not devastated, as I was after the elections in 2000 and 2004. In a sense, I feel relieved because now we know the outcome of this endless election campaign and we can move on and decide what to do next.

Most of all I am grateful to have had The Confluence as an outlet and a source of strength, energy, and support, and to know that you are all still here, that I’m not alone in the way I feel. I strongly believe that what we have done in five short months was worth it. We may not fully see the results of our efforts for some time, but we have made ourselves somewhat visible in the media and on the internet. I believe we can continue to make a difference. Most of all, I think Riverdaughter for her courage and strength, and her tireless efforts to motivate and encourage us with her words. I will forever be grateful to her for allowing me to post at The Confluence.

I’m not very good at organizing and working in public. I’m the kind of person who likes to read, study, and research questions that interest me. I tend to look at the world through the lens of psychology. I love to observe the behavior of politicians and try to analyze it from a psychological standpoint. I’m not a therapist or psychiatrist, just a researcher who finds people endlessly fascinating. So I plan to continue my personal research into Barack Obama’s character, his family history, his career, and his associates.

In terms of our collective political goals, my main interest has always been in preserving individual rights and civil rights. My first priority is to force Congress and the President to restore our Habeas Corpus rights. Without the right of Habeas, we really do not have freedom of speech or assembly or any other of the protections listed in the Bill of Rights As long as one man–the President–has the power to label us “enemy combatants” and put us in prison without the right to have an attorney and appear in court and hear the charges against, we effectively live under a dictatorship. This must be reversed! I do not believe that Obama or the Democratic leadership will restore our Constitutional rights unless we force them to do it through public pressure. I think we can advance this goal through contributing to and working with the ACLU and Center for Constitutional Rights.

My second goal is to use our collective strength and energy to fight for women’s and LGBT rights. These are both really issues of gender discrimination. The traditional “feminist” groups have abandoned those of us who aren’t members of the wealthy, elite classes. We can advance these goals through working toward the 30% solution and, as Garychapelhill has suggested, working toward perhaps an 8 or 10% solution for LGBT candidates. In addition, I would like to see the Equal Rights Amendment passed, with LGBT rights added to its language.

Finally, we must work for voting rights in elections and in the Democratic primaries. This is a cause I believe in, but one I know little about. But I’m sure there are Conflucians who will have much to say about it.

In order to advance all these goals, I think we should find ways to make the U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence more visible to the public. I’m not sure how we would do this, but one thing I would like to see happen is for these national documents to be required reading for high school and maybe even middle school students and for civics classes to once again be required in high school.

These are just a few suggestions. I’m much more a follower than a leader, and as I said before, my natural inclination is toward reading, research and other solitary pursuits. But we have many strong, experienced, energetic, and passionate people here and at The Confluence and other puma sites. Many of our members and other refugees from the Obamanet have branched out and started the own blogs. Despite feeling discouraged by the results of the election, I’m still optimistic, because I can see how much we have all accomplished in such a short time.

So now, let’s move on together and do the best we can to deal with the reality that faces us. I will hold these words from Hillary Clinton’s speech at the Democratic Convention close to me on this journey. Even though she gave that speech in support of Barack Obama’s candidacy, these words speak to those of us who are not included in the the “great victory” of November 4, 2008.

My mother was born before women could vote. But in this election my daughter got to vote for her mother for President.

This is the story of America. Of women and men who defy the odds and never give up.

How do we give this country back to them?

By following the example of a brave New Yorker , a woman who risked her life to shepherd slaves along the Underground Railroad.

And on that path to freedom, Harriett Tubman had one piece of advice.

If you hear the dogs, keep going.

If you see the torches in the woods, keep going.

If they’re shouting after you, keep going.

Don’t ever stop. Keep going.

If you want a taste of freedom, keep going.

Even in the darkest of moments, ordinary Americans have found the faith to keep going.

I’ve seen it in you. I’ve seen it in our teachers and firefighters, nurses and police officers, small business owners and union workers, the men and women of our military – you always keep going.

Love to all of you,

Boston Boomer (speaking for me only)

UPDATE 1: Lookingforintegrity and Dakinikat reminded me in the comments that the Supreme Court has ordered that detainees be permitted to go into court to learn the charges against them.
From LFI:

“The Court, dividing 5-4, ruled that Congress had not validly taken away habeas rights. If Congress wishes to suspend habeas, it must do so only as the Constitution allows — when the country faces rebellion or invasion.”

I still have a great deal of concern that Obama will not want to let go of the “unity executive” powers that Bush and Cheney seized. I will research this more later and post about it.

UPDATE 2: According the the ACLU website, the right of Habeas Corpus has not yet been restored. The Supreme Court handed down two decisions affirming the right of detainees to hear the charges against them in a court of law. Following those decisions, Congress passed the Military Commissions Act of 2006, which is still in effect.

In doing so, they cast aside the Constitution and the principle of habeas corpus, which protects against unlawful and indefinite imprisonment. They also gave the president absolute power to designate enemy combatants, and to set his own definitions for torture.

You can get information about the fight to restore Habeas Corpus here and here.