Hameed Abdul Karim

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ When President Barack ObamaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s election victory was announced virtually the whole world whooped in joy. Here, we thought, was a chance that the world would be a better place to live in, without the likes of George Bush, Dick Cheney, Condoleezza Rice, Colin Powell, Donald Rumsfeld and company pursuing their dangerous extreme right wing policies to bring the world to its knees and force us all to worship the empire.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

Obama came in like a breath of fresh air. Being an offspring of a mixed marriage with a black as father and a white mother, we thought he might have a deep understanding of the feelings of people of all races. His ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”MuslimƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ heritage led Muslims to believe he might accommodate their feeling and, especially, right the terrible wrongs his country had inflicted on the Palestinians.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ His ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Assalamu ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Alaikum,ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ speech in Cairo brought a thunderous reciprocal greeting and applause from the audience, most of which comprised ageing old guards of the political establishment, aligned ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”civil societyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ and other assorted hangers-on. The youngsters stayed behind, waiting for their day of destiny.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Barack ObamaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Naw Rooz MubarakƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ (Happy New Year) greeting to Iran made people think that ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”hey, this guy is real coolƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢. In our naivety we swallowed every word he said. His express wish, in his stentorian voice, that ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”before the year is out a state of Palestine defined by the 1967 borders will be a realityƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ (or words to that effect) sent Palestinians and their supporters around the world in a state of ecstasy and expectation. But it was the same guy who opposed PalestineƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s entry into UNESCO.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ MILLIONS THROWN OUT OF THEIR HOMES

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Jobs for Americans will be a-plenty, housing and ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”affordableƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ health care for poor Americans is coming with hopey-changey. That was supposed to be the change. But what we have is that millions of Americans have been thrown out of their homes by the banksters and over 24 million Americans are out of jobs. Instead of helping the people, Obama helped the very banksters who threw them out of their homes to the tune of billions of dollars.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Thousands are on the streets protesting against ObamaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s policies on the streets of the U.S. in what is called Occupy Wall Street (OWS). The American media has blocked all news of this gigantic protest except when they can get a talking head to vilify the protestors. This is reminiscent of all protests that have taken place for over a hundred years in the U.S.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ BLOT ON HUMANITY

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The infamous Guantanamo Bay was to be closed on his very first day in office. But itƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s still there like a blot on humanity. Only the other day another ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”detaineeƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ died. But that was not much of a concern. What was important was the murder of the US ambassador to Libya along with a couple of highly rated US Navy Seals. All human life is precious, but somehow the deaths of non-Whites, especially if they happen to be Muslims, donƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t induce the same level of sympathy in the minds of people as does the death of a White person. I am sorry to say this, but it is true.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ To make matters worse, Barack Obama has arrogated to himself the power to decide who is to live or die, thus going one step further than Bush & Co. He had personally ordered the murder of a US citizen by drone attack in Yemen. Weeks later he ordered the murder of a sixteen year old boy, who happened to be the son of the first victim and also a US citizen. The U.S. military dutifully carried out this presidential order without wondering how a teenager could be such a threat to the great empire.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ObamaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Attorney General Eric Holder stated in public that it was alright to murder US citizens without due process of law if the president thinks he is a threat to the US. Holder is African American and you would have thought that he would remember the cruel history of his people at the hands of the Anglo-Euro Americans when ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”NegroesƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ were sold like cattle to White landlords. Many of the 50 million slaves brought in chains from Africa to the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”new worldƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ perished en route or died of hunger and disease afterwards. Quite a few of them were executed or lynched for merely demanding basic needs to keep body and soul together, as described, so movingly, by Howard Zinn in his book ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”PeopleƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s History of the United StatesƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ BIRTH PANGS OF THE NEW MIDDLE EAST

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ If we thought African Americans would empathise with the underprivileged of the U.S. because of their history, we were wrong. We had no right to be optimistic on that score. The conduct of Condoleezza Rice and Colin Powell in BushƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s government should have taught us our lessons. Condoleezza Rice it was who said in exultationƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”these are the birth pangs of the new Middle EastƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ at an event hosted by Israeli leaders in her honour, while the Israeli military was smashing South Lebanon to smithereens with American supplied weaponry. Sure we have a new Middle East now, but itƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s not the one the Condolezzas of the Republican Party or the Democrats of the Obamas wanted.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Both the U.S political parties are the same in their policies and outlook. Both subscribe to AmericaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s policy of ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Manifest DestinyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢. So when Americans, young and old, swallowed ObamaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s line ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Change We Can Believe InƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ and voted him to power believing the poor in America will get a better deal under his ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”new dealƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ they were in for a rude shock. HereƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Howard Zinn puts it. ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Whether Democrats or Republicans won, national policy would not change in any important wayƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢. But perhaps the charismatic Arundathi Roy put in an even better way. ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”The Republicans and the Democrats are like two detergents, both owned by Proctor and GambleƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢, meaning big business.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ So whether Obama wins or Mitt Romney replaces him in the White House come November, nothingƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s going to change for the underprivileged ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”99%ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ of Americans who are protesting on the streets of New York or elsewhere in the states. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ And who knows, maybe the Iranians will have to duck for cover, if or when, the president of the United States decides to obey Binyamin NetanyahuƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s order to bomb Iran.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

All along there was Noam Chomsky telling us things will never change and that before long, Obama will stand exposed for his hypocrisy, because, after all, he is a prisoner of the Zionists and Wall Street who reign supreme from behind the throne. We should have taken his word.