January 1, 2009 Fun with Spam from the Right This latest missive from the right wing now has a new ending, written by me! The letter, received today from a r-wing friend, said: In a few short days, an African American man will move from his private residence into a much larger and infinitely more expensive one owned not by him but by the taxpayers. A vast lawn, a perimeter fence and many well trained security specialists will insulate him from the rest of us but the mere fact thatÊthisÊman will be residing in thisÊhouse should make us all stop and count our blessings - because it proves that we live in a nation where anything is possible. Many believed this day would never come. Most of us hoped and prayed that it would, but few of us actually believed we would live to see it. Racism is an ugly thing in all of its forms and there is little doubt that ifÊthisÊman had moved intoÊthisÊhouse fifteen years ago, there would have been a great outcry - possibly even rioting in the streets.Ê Today, we can all be both grateful and proud that no such mayhem will take place. whenÊthisÊman takes up residency inÊthisÊhouse. ThisÊman, moving intoÊthisÊhouse atÊthisÊtime in our nation's history is much more than a simple change of addresses for him - it is proof of a change in our attitude as a nation. It is an amends of sorts - the righting of a great wrong. It is a symbol of our growth, and of our willingness to "judge a man, not by the color of his skin but by the content of his character". There can be little doubt now that the vast majority of us truly believe thatÊthisÊman has earned both his place in history and his new address. His time inÊthisÊhouse will not be easy - it will be fraught with danger and he will face many challenges. I am sure there will be many times when he asks himself how in the world he ended up here and like all who have gone before him, the experience will age him greatly.Ê But I for one will not waste an ounce of worry for his sake - because in every way a man can, he asked for this. His whole life for the past fifteen years appears to have been inexorably leadingÊthisÊman towardÊthisÊhouse. It is highly probable that in the past, despite all of his actions, racism would have keptÊthisÊman out ofÊthisÊhouse.ÊÊ Today, I thank the lord above that I am an American and that I live in a nation where wrongs are righted, where justice matters and where truly anything is possible. Who isÊthis man?Ê you ask.Ê You think you know, don't you? See below. New ending by Nori Muster, editor at Surrealist.org: Yes! It is Barack Obama!! Thanks for noticing! A Note from the Pray for Peace Editor: Up until July 2008, the Pray for Peace Archive at Surrealist.org consisted of twelve years of unedited journal entries (the equivalent of 1,500 printed pages). Now it is off line and I have started the process of editing this material into a book that will be called, "Pray for Peace Notebook." Over the next year, while working on this manuscript, I will continue to post my thoughts on this page for a day or two, then pull them offline and throw them in the mix. The book will contain peaceful, progressive ideas for creating peace in our culture, in our time. Bookmark this page and come back soon. I will continue to post a couple times a week, as usual.