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Thursday, June 7, 2007

Obama’s Quiet Riot

posted by on June 7 at 15:30 PM

The speech that’s causing the stir is here, in full.

Many of the folks in this room know just where they were when the riot in Los Angeles started and tragedy struck the corner of Florence and Normandy. And most of the ministers here know that those riots didn’t erupt over night; there had been a “quiet riot” building up in Los Angeles and across this country for years.

If you had gone to any street corner in Chicago or Baton Rouge or Hampton — you would have found the same young men and women without hope, without miracles, and without a sense of destiny other than life on the edge — the edge of the law, the edge of the economy, the edge of family structures and communities.

Those “quiet riots” that take place every day are born from the same place as the fires and the destruction and the police decked out in riot gear and the deaths. They happen when a sense of disconnect settles in and hope dissipates. Despair takes hold and young people all across this country look at the way the world is and believe that things are never going to get any better. You tell yourself, my school will always be second rate. You tell yourself, there will never be a good job waiting for me to excel at. You tell yourself, I will never be able to afford a place that I can be proud of and call my home. That despair quietly simmers and makes it impossible to build strong communities and neighborhoods. And then one afternoon a jury says, “Not guilty” — or a hurricane hits New Orleans — and that despair is revealed for the world to see.

RSS icon Comments

1

That would make a great band name.

Posted by Will in Seattle | June 7, 2007 4:05 PM
2

Always talk about the excluded and their despair, translating it into a supposed longing for integration. Never talk about those whose decisions produce exclusion, about a system based on people's exploitation, about more radical hopes for reform.

Posted by wf | June 7, 2007 4:11 PM
3

See, now I can see an orator like that being our president. Too bad he's the dark horse to Edwards and Hillary.

Posted by Gomez | June 7, 2007 4:46 PM
4

it's a long speech, but it is totally worth reading. an excellent speech. like, vote getting excellent.

Posted by konstantConsumer | June 7, 2007 4:47 PM
5

it's a long speech, but it is totally worth reading. an excellent speech. like, vote getting excellent.

Posted by konstantConsumer | June 7, 2007 4:49 PM
6

When I read or hear a well done speech by Obama or Gore, and then I hear Bush mangling the English language every time he opens his mouth, I weep.

Posted by SDA in SEA | June 7, 2007 7:03 PM
7

He is truly an incredible speaker. He may be too smart for the general populace.

Posted by Original Monique | June 7, 2007 7:12 PM
8

I can't remember the last time a public speaker in US was good enough to be widely quoted. MLK, I guess. JFK. Bush is just imbecilic, but not really THAT much worse than the recent standard (see: his daddy).

Posted by fnarf | June 7, 2007 7:57 PM
9

I think Obama is an amazing speaker. Does anyone know of a website with some of his full speeches? If you do, please e-mail me at RizkyM823@aol.com.

Posted by Maria Rizk | June 7, 2007 7:57 PM
10

@9: check out http://www.americanrhetoric.com/

It only has one by Obama, I think -

"Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Dick Durbin. You make us all proud..."

The site has some pretty awesome speeches from the olden days.

Posted by Jude Fawley | June 7, 2007 8:27 PM
11

more appologist bullsh$t.

Posted by ben | June 9, 2007 12:32 PM
12

MSN I NIIPET
MSN

Posted by Bill | June 12, 2007 2:31 PM
13

MSN I NIIPET
MSN

Posted by Bill | June 12, 2007 2:31 PM
14

MSN I NIIPET
MSN

Posted by Bill | June 12, 2007 2:32 PM

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