Posted on 11/12/2008 10:35:39 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
MIAMI, FL - In a desolate, weed-filled lot in a neighborhood nestled just beyond Miami's glass-and-steel skyscrapers, business was brisk at Earl Quinn's makeshift T-shirt shop. As soon as he could print them, T-shirts with President-elect Barack Obama's name in glitter and his face in silver studs were sold.
Suddenly, this predominantly black community that had suffered for years with poverty, unemployment and racial tension had come to life the day after Obama's historic victory. Customers arrived in pajamas, some still tired after a night of celebrating, just to grab a souvenir.
"You got the one that says, 'It's not a black thing, it's not a white thing, but it's a right thing?"' one customer asked.
Quinn shook his head. Sold out.
"You got the shirt that says 'Mission Possible?' The other day, you were wearing that shirt, 'Mission Possible."'
Quinn grinned.
"It's not 'Mission Possible,"' he said. "It's now 'Mission Accomplished."'
Across the country, black communities large and small -- enclaves that for decades have been plagued with poverty, foreclosures and crushing violence -- are flush with the realization that a black man has done the unplausible. Yet beyond the discussions of hope and change, people say they believe an Obama presidency might bring more concrete relief: jobs, affordable housing and safety.
Jobs and hope have long been scarce commodities in Liberty City. Its name comes from a housing project built in the 1930s for poor African-Americans and is known around Florida for a few things.
One is its high school football team, ranked tops in the country by ESPN last year. Another is grinding poverty. The median household income hovers around $18,000 a year, some $30,000 less than the U.S. average.
It's also known for riots.
(Excerpt) Read more at wavy.com ...
“T-shirts with President-elect Barack Obama’s name in glitter and his face in silver studs were sold.”
Glitter and silver studs?
What is this, 1974?
“What is this, 1974?”
No, 1984.
The expectations game is pretty much off the charts here.
Seems more like '77, what with the new Carter at the helm and all.
Sounds like Quinn the T-shirt guy understands what creates jobs: selling products people want. Maybe if these folks would follow Quinn instead of Obama, they’d see some progress.
It’s sad...these people really believe Obama is the Messiah that can reach into every black community and change it. Change can’t come until they start to help themselves. Considering that nearly 80% of AA children are born into a home w/out a father, having a two parent home would be a good place to start if they want to change their circumstances.
“What is this, 1974?”
No, 1984.
Beautiful!
>Maybe if these folks would follow Quinn instead of Obama, they’d see some progress.
Very good point. The only “progress” that these imbecilic libs know is that of liberalism and bailouts.
I was having the same thought. The expectations on all sides as to what 0 will do are great.
What will be interesting is how the media will try to defend 0 when he starts breaking peoples hearts.
Free gas and free mortgages. It’s gonna be great!
Declaring that this nation is saved “Mission Accomplished” is a bit early. To any black person who thought they were being “held back” by the collective white people in America, you were not.
And the election of Barack Obama as president does not open up any more doors for you than weren’t already open when we began November 2008.
A battered woman who fears relationships with ALL men is wrong to expect ALL men to feel like they have victimized her or that they should do something more to make her comfortable. Seek counseling, do not convict; that is PREJUDICE. Listen up black Americans who felt victimized, you brought yourself down by clinging to negativity and telling your children that society was still “out to get them”. That is child abuse.
“Mission Accomplished”. What’ve we’ve seen is the proposal of who should run the country, not any results. That is hardly an accomplishment to brag on.
Some people are going to decide that they are now allowed to take what is “rightfully” theirs, and that the justice system will either look the other way, or allow it. I predict that we are going to see a national uptick in the stats on crime. The experts will claim it is the result of a bad economy, but we’ll know better.
Detroit, coming to a neighborhood near you!
> It’s sad...these people really believe Obama is the Messiah that can reach into every black community and change it.
I don’t think it’s SAD, I think it is HILLARIOUS. Obama has set people’s expectations so high on so many different levels he will be unable to deliver successfully to anybody.
By promising the moon he has set himself up to fail.
Now, you might think this is unfair for all of those whose hearts he is going to break: it isn’t. It is a salutory lesson on things that our Moms should have taught us when we were kids: “Don’t be greedy”, “You can’t have something for nothing”, “Don’t be mean to other people”, “Don’t tell lies or listen to liars”...
Obviously these people either didn’t have good Moms, or they did but they didn’t listen to her.
And Obama is about to learn a lesson all of his own, which again his Mom should have taught him: “Be careful what you ask for because you might just get it.” He wanted to be President so bad he would lie, cheat, and steal to get there. Now he has what he wanted...
...poor guy! The next four years will be fun to watch, but maybe not so much fun for him. HILLARIOUS!
Obama's appointing someone to get rid of all those.
If Mr. Quinn is anything like others I've known - he doesn't have an address in the target community.
I doubt the night of partying had anything to do with going out in pajamas. A friend and I were just discussing the other day how it has become commonplace to see people out grocery shopping, etc in their pajamas. Sometimes even with bed slippers.
Was listening to NPR on the way home from work (good to listen to the other side once in a while to not be insular). They interviewed a bunch of black guys from the inner streets. They were ecstatic and were talking about how Obama would bring jobs.
Little do they know that the inner-city employment rate is only going to get hit even worse under Obama with his greater regulations and wasteful spending.
What I love is seeing babies, toddlers and school age kids up with their parents at 3AM at a Wal-Mart.
Mission Accomplished, eh? Maybe we can get pics of folks wearing the shirts and having them at the ready when the sweet turns sour.
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