So, let me get this straight ...

After watching a Sunday television news show that interviewed some Pennsylvanians, a lot of 'em will vote for a man who represents a political party that's largely responsible for the mess this country's in, rather than elect an obviously intelligent black man who has a crystal-clear plan to cure America's ills?

Hmmmmm.
Makes sense to me.

I wonder if those same people would reach out to grab a black man's hand if they were about to let go of a thin tree branch and fall a thousand feet to their death?

Now that's a question I would've asked 'em.

The sad reality this 2008 Presidential campaign has served to reveal is that this country hasn't come nearly as far as a lot of people hoped it had.

Racism is still ... and will forever be ... a major problem.
But now, instead of racism being something that a lot of Americans thought was safely hidden in their closets, Barack Obama's candidacy has brought it front and center, and it has the potential to be a big pothole on America's road to economic and global recovery.

Now hear this: Electing Obama is no longer just a dream for black people, but HAS to be the goal of every American regardless of color IF they want this country to survive.

America is on shaky ground on more than just one front.
Our military is stretched thin, our economy is in the toilet and our streets are war zones ... filled with young jobless people of all colors fighting and killing each other because they see no hope. 
  
Don't think foreign interests across the globe aren't paying close attention either, examining every problem this country has and looking for any open door to exploit it for their own gain.

Remember this: Because of its arrogance, the United States does not have many friends ... EVEN among countries who claim they're our allies.

This country MUST elect a leader who'll choose to sit down with people around the world and repair the many bridges Republicans have successfully blown up in the last 8 years.

We can't fight everybody! We've got to pick our battles.

We shouldn't be spending $10 billion a month to fund a foreign war when the money desperately needs to be spent here!
We can't tell somebody "Ok, we're going to sit down and talk with you, BUT only under these conditions," as Republican Presidential nominee John McCain so adamantly wants to do.

THAT is not a two-sided conversation. THAT is just America ... once again ...dictating what should be talked about and how it should be talked about.

I don't know about ya'll, but I'd kinda like to hear what other countries are so chapped about.
Who knows, what they have to say might actually make some sense.
AND it might be something worth listening to ... just to see if we should change our own position.

Our ideas aren't the ONLY ideas.

My daddy, Walter Patterson, told me something once that I repeat quite often ... even if I don't always adhere to it myself.

He said: If you don't listen, you can't hear.

Make sense?
Of course it does.

America MUST listen.
It must listen to other nations to understand what their issues are.
It must listen to itself to actually hear what its saying and how others might be interpreting it.
It must listen to the majority of its people who desperately want this weak economy to get stronger.

But most of all, every American needs to listen to the Pennsylvanians who say they'll vote for a man ... even if he's not equipped to solve the country's problems ... just because he's white.

And then decide just how much damn sense that makes ... 

(Darron Patterson is an award-winning freelance journalist based in Detroit and President of WriteStuf Communications, LLC www.writestuf.com)