No Guts, No Glory

The closer Barack Obama comes to locking up the Democratic nomination the higher the fear among Blacks that his safety is in dire jeopardy. At this point — due to the history of assassination in America, coupled with the history of systemic violence (legal and vigilante) that has been perpetrated against people of color around the world — that fear is becoming almost palpable.

One Black voter recently said that while he’d love for Barack Obama to be president, he isn’t voting for him, because of that fear for Obama’s safety. “I’m afraid some racist is going to kill him,” the man said, echoing a sentiment I’ve heard from a goodly number of other Blacks, both in and outside of the US.

Some people obviously have been afflicted with a virulent form of “Fatalism/Nihilism Syndrome,” a malaise I just invented the name for. The primary symptom of the disease is an overall, persistent feeling that something (or in this case, someone, Barack) is too good for us, that we are really not deserving of the good he can be an impetus for being created, and therefore something dreadful will happen to rob us of our joy and ecstasy. For these folks it’s better not to get hopes up, that way they won’t be disappointed... once again. Oh, ye of little faith!

Remember, Jonathan Swift wrote: “When a true genius appears in this world, you may know him by this sign — that the dunces are all in confederacy against him.” The only way to counter the dunces lined up against Barack ...is for us to dare to line up solidly for him. He has already brought us hope, shown us what is possible — now we have to show him that we deserve and believe in it. We have to will it to be ours.

I’m too battle scarred to be a Pollyanna; it would be extremely naive of me to dismiss the fears of these concerned Blacks (and many Whites as well) as juvenile, especially from the vantage point of my relatively safe anonymity. But I nonetheless submit that the chance of Barack being assassinated while in office is no greater than that of any other person who might occupy the White House — and perhaps somewhat less.

This is not to say that all of the rabid racists who would try to commit such a heinous act have died off (there are some knuckle draggers out there somewhere right now, sitting around a cracker barrel, fanaticizing about what harm they’d like to do to the first Black president) it’s just that they’re not going to be afforded the opportunity to carry out their demented dream.

A recent story out of Dallas containing allegations that the Secret Service told local police officers to “put down the metal detectors and stop checking purses and laptop bags” of the people who were entering Reunion Arena for an Obama rally in mid-February. The order was supposedly given to speed up the line of people who were waiting to get into the venue, and local officers supposedly didn’t agree with the decision. A Secret Service spokesperson later said that the security plan was executed as planned and Obama’s safety was never compromised in any way.

While I’m glad the issue was raised, I would have to believe that the Secret Service spokesperson was being forthright, and here’s why: If they were to slip up and allow someone into the facility carrying a gun, bent on shooting Barack, who would be the persons throwing their bodies into the line of fire? Secret Service agents.

Oliver Stone movies aside, anyone who believes that a bunch of Secret Service agents would conspire to allow someone to do harm to Barack (or anyone else they are detailed to protect) has been smoking their underwear ... it just ain’t happening. You can’t get that many professionally trained people to drink the Kool-Aid.

And I’m not just spouting off an unlearned opinion, I’m speaking from experience. For years I dealt with guys from this agency up close and personal.

The only other assignment the Secret Service has, besides protecting current and former high-ranking government officials (former presidents receive protection for life), is safeguarding U.S. currency; they track down counterfeiters. As some of you readers know, for years — it seems like another life now — I counterfeited credit cards. For over two decades I played hide and seek with these agents all over the country, and without hesitation I can say Secret Service guys are among the best trained, most dedicated, and most professional law enforcement officers in America — bar none.

After John Hinckley shot President Reagan in March of 1981, the top brass of the Secret Service solemnly vowed that no one would ever again harm one of their charges ... and they all take this vow very seriously. Are there nuts out there that would harm a president ... any president? Of course, in deranged minds it’s a sure ticket to historical infamy; the whole world would know who they are forever. But their chances of getting that move off are slim to none.

Michelle Obama has come to terms with the possibility that something could happen to her husband, it’s time all of us come to those same terms. Barack Obama is willingly attempting to wear the crown of the presidency ... and he knows that the possibility of an assassin ending his life is just the cross he has to bear; it goes with the territory. But this is a choice he is consciously making — and I can only wish that I had such an opportunity to serve my country and humanity. Being safe and secure has always been greatly overrated anyway. No guts, no glory. It might be hard for some to believe, but this dude just ain’t scared ... not even a little bit.

And it’s due in part to those big, burley guys with the earpieces you see standing very close to him and every other candidate. They know what they are doing, and they’re as serious as a heart attack. Obama and every other candidate know they have the best protection in the world — again, bar none.
From Cool Cleveland contributor Mansfield B. Frazier mansfieldfATgmail.com

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