Little Girls and O’Bomba
For upcoming September anniversaries
by R. Martin Oxman

“…The first day after a death, the new absence
Is always the same; we should be careful

Of each other, we should be kind
While there is still time.” – final lines from Philip Larkin’s “The Mower”

It doesn’t matter that young African-American girls will be “inspired” by Michelle Obama’s speech at the Democratic National Convention. Ditto for if and when she becomes (another well-intentioned) First Lady.

I’m all for young African-American girls being “inspired,” but not if it’s contingent upon the ongoing bombing of young girls… and others… in Afghanistan… and elsewhere.

Denise, Addie-Mae, Carole and Cynthia are turning over in their heavenly Alabama graves as Barack plays John Philip Sousa on his Black and White “Oh, Boy, here we go again” Oboe.

You don’t have to understand that third paragraph. It’s the kind of thing I write when the Mad Hatter Madness which envelops me reaches the depths it does with such mindlessness as is manifested by praise of Michelle… and her War Party.

The little girls in Afghanistan and the adults which surround them — good and bad — are no more of a threat to us — whether they are presently hiding in caves or not — than the little girls of Birmingham were to the fellows who blew up the 16th Baptist Church on September 15, 1963, or Paul Robeson was to the citizens of Peekskill on September 4, 1949… when they wanted to drop an A-Bomb on the humanitarian communist.

But people don’t know much of the above since they don’t know much history.

Nevertheless, no good can come from bombing people. (1)

And nothing decent can come from little girls of any color modeling themselves on any First Lady of the U.S.A., who must be — by modern historical definition — First Cheerleader of Abominations.

It all makes one want to relocate to northern Italy where they’re not bombing many people right now… in spite of our American military presence there. Or turn on “La Bamba” and return to the past, as if there’s no such thing as this… Ticking Time Bomb

McCain, McBama. O’Cain, O’Bama. There’s not enough of a difference… for little girls.

Footnote:
(1) Yes, that is an absolute. And the author would be honored to elaborate vis-a-vis the “necessity of Nagasaki” upon request. Neither of the two major candidates, it should be noted, are willing to call our War Crimes (!)… War Crimes. Anyone with a familiarity on the ground with “war crimes” would never excuse such horror in the name of political expediency… or for any reason whatsoever. McCain actually bombed people. Obama doesn’t have a license to fly a killer machine, but they both seek A License to Kill. This is NOT hyperbole. And something can be done about it. For starters, however, what’s needed is for citizens to call a spade a spade, and not refer to the excitement surrounding Obama’s campaign as fever. Rather, it should be characterized as insanity… perhaps in a clinical sense. As insane as the silence (of both major candidates) which surrounds the ongoing immiseration of African-Americans (and so many others) on these sad, sad shores. As bad as the relationship between that and our bloody hands abroad.

R. Martin Oxman can be reached at headburg@yahoo.com. Immediately?
“He had the poor judgment to go on the cable news show of Fox’s Bill O’Reilly and make the extraordinary statement that the so-called Surge in Iraq had “succeeded beyond our wildest dreams”. He calls for 10,000 more troops for Afghanistan. Move over, Sarah Palin! You only want to shoot wolves from helicopters. Real men like Obama want more helicopter gunships to mow down Afghan kids from the air.” — Alexander Cockburn describing Obama in http://www.counterpunch.org/cockburn09132008.html, his “Panic!” Counterpunch Diary entry. This is not a “Lesser of Two Evils” situation. The two major choices are Absolute Horrors. Such language should be employed by those rationalizing a vote for Obama ( See http://www.zmag.org/znet/viewArticle/18796 and/or http://www.counterpunch.org/neville09132008.html and/or http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080914/ap_on_re_as/afghanistan. AND http://www.zmag.org/zvideo/2834. ) There’s a world of difference.