JAH Bless President-elect Barack Obama!

It is the early morning hours on the night after Election Day and I just had to express a few thoughts. I am overwhelmed with joy, and with hope. Barack Obama has been elected as the 44th president of the United States! It is hard for me to even articulate my feelings at this time but I am so very proud to be an American and to have witnessed this important moment in U.S. and World history. My confidence was not in vain… I knew in my heart that American voters could not pass up such an opportunity for change and progression. I was moved to tears by the speech that President-elect Barack Obama gave tonight because I have never experienced having a leader that inspires and gives hope to the country in the way that he does... it is simply contagious. I also thought I would never live to see a black president... before now, America didn't even have a president or vice-president outside of an Anglo-American background. This is truly epic. I can only envision a positive and bright future ahead of us. That being said, fyah pon all of those weakhearts and doubters who even now continue to discredit the achievement and potential of Mr. Obama... if ones cannot come together and unite with a common interest in this crucial time, then they are working to destroy the will of the people and the works of the Most High. Peace-loving people will not tolerate any more fear mongering or foolish talk; it is a new age and a new season. JAH Bless the new President of the United States and guide him in all his endeavors! This is a wonderful time to be alive, and I am glad to share this experience with my students as their teacher. I will be celebrating this event for a long time and I anxiously await Inauguration Day. If you believe, then you can achieve! Yes we can!

Bless Up Obama!,
JAHsh

The Eve of Hope

78 years ago today, Ras Tafari Makonnen was crowned Emperor Haile Selassie I alongside his wife Empress Menen in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Ever since that time "King Alpha" and "Queen Omega" have been righteous examples for humanity, inspiring the Rastafari movement and all of the great freedom fighters, singers, musicians, and humble servants of the Most High that have united underneath the red, gold and green banner during the last century.

I can only imagine the enthusiasm felt by the Garveyites and the first Rastas like Leonard Howell during the time of Selassie's coronation in 1930. Marcus Garvey's prophecy that said to look toward Africa for a black king came to fruition. Finally Africans at home and abroad had a king of their own that they could acknowledge. Yet this joy wasn't exclusive to Africans alone, people and leaders from nations all around the world knew that this was no ordinary secular king who was crowned (they only had to read the Scriptures and ancient tomes of history). There is no doubt that the life, wisdom and teachings of His Imperial Majesty have continued to inspire generation after generation of people from all colors and creeds, regardless of how they sight up his character.

Now, I don't intend to compare Barack Obama to the personality of H.I.M. Haile Selassie I, but I can't help but feel an excitement in this time and recognize this same feeling of excitement in millions of others who share it with me. This "Eve of Hope" as I call it must be something like that moment 78 years ago. However, this time we have the power to elect our leader, we have the opportunity to make a right and proper choice.

I am not one to invest myself in what I&I call "politricks" and I have no faith in politricksters. However, something truly seems different about Barack Obama. It is not because of his racial background and the significance behind that, those are not the measurements of a good leader… it is because for the first time, this man, a regular man with a true, fair, and accessible vision is offering something new to the American people and ultimately to people from all around the world as well. From the very first time I heard Mr. Obama speak, I was moved in such a deep way that I knew this man was an exceptional person and that he could be the answer to America's problems. His intelligence, integrity and determination are a breath of fresh air in the stale room of politics. Obama's leadership and philosophy is what this country needs and I believe in the change that he offers.

It is hard to believe that in only two days from now, we will elect a new president of the United States. I am confident that Americans will make the right choice and I am confident that things in America will begin to change for the better once Barack Obama and his wife Michelle occupy the White House. There are so many naysayers and hatemongers spreading propaganda in order to try and stop this from happening, but the voice of the people is the voice of JAH. Opposition is nothing new, Mussolini had his eyes on Ethiopia even as His Majesty was crowned, and every good and decent leader throughout history has had to fight against evil. But the age of fear is over and hope is on the horizon ready to chase the wicked back into darkness. It is amazing to see the possibility of a black president only a few decades after the Civil Rights Movement and less than 150 years after slavery in America was abolished. It goes to show that good will always prevail and that for the most part Americans are progressive and altruistic people. Imagine now having a leader who can foster those same ideals and restore America's reputation as a beacon of freedom and equality to the world.

Haile Selassie I's titles were King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the Elect of God and Defender of the Faith. I hope that on Tuesday night we can dub Mr. Barack Obama as President of the United States, Leader of the Free World, the Elect of the American People, and Defender of the American Dream. Perhaps King Selassie's Coronation on a Sunday, November 2, 1930 is a sign of the future and a benediction for Obama on this Sunday today, November 2, 2008.

Vote on Election Day, Nov. 4th!... JAH Rastafari!

JAHsh