[Peace-discuss] [Discuss] [Announce] [Peace] WCIA has posted a petitionre resignation of Mayor Schweighart

[Melodye Rosales]

"If you didn’t see the video on YouTube of Champaign Mayor Jerry Schweighart
saying that President Obama is not American, let me tell you this- it’s
pretty scary.  I quote him: ”I don’t think he’s American, personally.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GC4LBdSnhkE

Actually, every email poster here has made valid points within their own
context.  Problem is it appears each email-poster has slightly tweaked Mayor
Swine-fart's comments to highlight other issues that they may support or
reject.

I was not troubled with the idiotic rants or comfortable racism that the
Mayor unapologetically festers in nor the many who support him in this
closet-Klan-community we call the Heartland, a place nestled deep within the
Heritage Hierarchy (http://www.heritage.org/).

I am no longer shocked by the tragic fact that our local government can
totally ignore social justice and McCar-tha-rize anyone who dares to enforce
it.

No. I agree people can hold their own opinions---whether based in ignorance,
perceived truths, or everything inbetween.

BUT, I do disagree with the head of our supposedly *non-partisan* form of
government (a mandate created by the very same body of government the Mayor
sits at the helm of)---to use his "non-partisan" seat to make such a
personal political statement public while representing his political
office.  At the very least the Mayor should provide the public appearance of
"for the people" given the Mayor is the face of Champaign, IL---a diverse
community---home of our state's Flagship public university.

However, even with that, I *did not* draw the line on the Mayor's Freedom of
Speech, questioning our President's Birth Certificate and whether it is
legitimate or not----no...I drew the line at the way the
question/statement/opinion was expressed, "I don't think he's an American,
personally"  which is coded language for Black folk who interpret that
historically loaded meaning the way we have always understood it to mean.
That goes hand-in-hand with, "'N's' should go back to Africa where they came
from"  for those of us old enough to remember that mantra chanted by angry
White crowds whenever we protested and demanded an equitable co-existence
and the rewards we, too, were entitled to benefit from.

For Black folk statements, such as the one made by the Mayor, continues to
polarize our nation in terms of race relations, serving as a reminder, the
term "politically in/correct" is only brought out for crowd control when it
appears Black folk have said something that hasn't been "Whitified" first.

President Obama has been met with one insult after another since he first
went on the campaign trail. Is it really because he is seen as a Liberal
Democrat, though he self-identifies as a Centrist? There never was a
"Cookie" named after any president that reflected his racial sterotype, such
as in the case of the "Drunken Negro Cookie" made on MLK day in "honor" of
President Obama. (
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/01/26/drunken-negros-cookies-ne_n_161073.html).
Or Waffles made using a President's name and packaged to remind us of the
Aunt Jemimah brand (
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/13/conservative-political-fo_n_126243.html)
A Curious George look alike for the image that adorned T-shirts with Obama's
name underneath (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QU2sQ5ukOko), and so on and
so forth...

Since the campaign, it hasn't been about where he was born or what nation
his birth certificate claims---that is simply the excuse to exercise the
underlying racism and hatred that has always lurked beneath our nation's
red-white-and-blue while the Confederate one waves proudly at the top of
their flag pole.

This "what lies beneath the surface" reared its ugly head when the
religious-right Conservatives and allies of, spotted Obama not wearing an
American Flag pin on his lapel during the campaign. That Stepford Moment
came right out of the "Invasion of The Body Snatchers" as shrill voices
united in chorus while their fingers pointed erectly at the unadorned lapel
in yet another effort to alert the nation that Obama was not one of us (or
should I say, 'them'), an American.  It was all so surreal.  I mean, forget
about televised debates and political photo ops taken with Obama in
attendance that clearly showed other presidential hopefuls were not wearing
one either, not the least being then current GOP president, George Bush Jr.

So what I took pause with had nothing to do with the standard political
party attacks on one another, but the fact the Mayor stated, "I don’t think
he’s American" was a direct throwback to the days when it was acceptable to
treat Black folk as "sub-human" and a different species then White America.
  I guess only European ancestors who brutally invaded and ravaged the
Americas (like our Mayor's (k)clan) can be an American.

Perhaps, that is why no one questions the origins of a name like
Schweighart.

*SCHWEIGHART ranks # 88083 * in terms of the most common surnames in the
United States for 2000.

* SCHWEIGHART had 196 occurrences* in the 2000 Census, according the U.S.
government records.

Out of a sample of 100,000 people in the United States, SCHWEIGHART would
occur an average of 0.07 times.

*Race / ethnic origin*

The race categories shown in these files are the modified race categories
used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were
categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:
"White only", "Black only", "American Indian and Alaskan Native only",
"Asian and Pacific Islander only", "Two or More Races", and "Hispanic".

For the last name of SCHWEIGHART the Census Bureau reports the following
race / ethnic origin breakdown:

   - 98.98 percent, or 194 total occurrences, were "Non-Hispanic White Only"

   - Insignificant percent, or Less than 100 total occurrences, were
   "Non-Hispanic Black Only"
   - 0 percent, or None reported total occurrences, were "Non-Hispanic Asian
   and Pacific Islander Only"
   - 0 percent, or None reported total occurrences, were "Non-Hispanic
   American Indian and Alaskan Native"
   - 0 percent, or None reported total occurrences, were "Non-Hispanic of
   Two or More Races"
   - Insignificant percent, or Less than 100 total occurrences, were
   "Hispanic Origin"


NOTE: Fields suppressed for confidentiality are assigned the value
"Insignificant"

The presentation of data on this site focuses on summarized aggregates of
counts and characteristics associated with surnames, and, as such, do not in
any way identify any specific individuals.

All data is derived from David L. Word, Charles D. Coleman, Robert Nunziata
and Robert Kominski (2008). "Demographic Aspects of Surnames from Census
2000". U.S. Census Bureau.


*Historical records for name origin and Ellis Island passenger lists all
show the surname Schweighart and derivatives of that spelling are of German
descent and whose surname is liberally associated with Nazis and Nazi
sympathizers in Germany pre and post WWII.  That is not to say Mayor
Schweighart has any direct ancestors to the Nazis---just that that surname
appears to fall on that side of the spectrum when looking up the surname.
Actually, Mayor Schweighhart's family history hails from Pesotum, IL which
has been identified as a "Sundown Town" and historically poor.  Much has
remained unchanged over the generations. Today the stats report: *

Races in Pesotum:

   - White Non-Hispanic (98.8%)
   - Two or more races (0.6%)


Dec. 2009 cost of living index in Pesotum: 73.8 (low, U.S. average is 100)
 http://www.city-data.com/city/Pesotum-Illinois.html#ixzz0lZIGZ0ZF
*
*
I end with my response to Schweighart:
I, Too, Sing America by Langston Hughes
 I, too, sing America.

I am the darker brother.
They send me to eat in the kitchen
When company comes,
But I laugh,
And eat well,
And grow strong.

Tomorrow,
I'll be at the table
When company comes.
Nobody'll dare
Say to me,
"Eat in the kitchen,"
Then.

Besides,
They'll see how beautiful I am
And be ashamed--

I, too, am America.

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