Obama Is Black and I Am White:

During the 2008 campaign, some people tried to claim that then Senator Barack Obama was not an African American because—and this might be difficult to understand for some Americans—his father was a Black African while his mother was a white American.

It's a matter of heritage. Obama doesn't carry with him a personal heritage of his family members having suffered the same indignities as most African Americans do. Nevertheless, we have recently been told that when he filled his census questionnaire out he marked the racial category as "Black, African Am., or Negro."

Throughout his life—and Stephen Colbert will appreciate this—President Obama has been treated like a Black American.

Humorist Colbert has for several years joked about the fact that he "doesn't see" race or color, that people tell him he's white and he believes them. Like much of Colbert's humor, the joke, while it provokes giggles from his audience, has a sharp point. Race is not a matter of biology, it's a matter of class.

Thus, even though my forefathers are of a diverse ethnicity, including some being members of "races" other than western European, and I have cousins who are African American and some of Mexican descent, I am a "white" person because all of my life people have told me that I'm "white" and they have treated me as if I were "white." That is, I have been accepted as a member of a class. (Although often enough not at its highest levels.)

Note: Beware of those who accuse you of initiating class warfare; they mean "class rebellion." The war has existed for a very long time, and they simply want you to "remain in your place."


Doctors Just Wanna Be Rich:

In Florida, a doctor has posted a sign on his door that states if you voted for Obama he doesn't want to treat you. The good doctor is upset about the new health care law. Evidently he fears that he may not make as much money in the future as he has in the past. According to The New York Times, the doctor claims that he won't actually turn away any patients, but he just wants those who voted for Pres. Obama to seek care elsewhere.

Next up, teachers to post signs on their doors that state, "If one of your parents voted for Obama, seek education elsewhere."


Hey, techies, so you're wondering why Apple's iPad is so restrictive:

The major complaint about Apple's new iPad computing device is that users are severely limited by what they can do with it. Apple is notorious for this practice for marketing reasons, but there's an added consideration.

The iPad is positioned to become an eBook killer device, and the whole eBook business model exists on a slippery slope. It's all about "rights."

The "killer" moment in eBook production will be when textbooks can be marketed as electronic transmissions/files. And that moment appears to be a long way off. Books, especially textbooks, are far more heavily laden with copyright issues than music. And we know what happened with that industry. For one view on the quagmire, see Marc Aronson's op-ed in today's New York Times.