When I was a boy, I would overhear older black men talking about this evil, mythical figure called “The Man.” I thought there was Batman, Spiderman, Superman, and The Man.

The Man was accused of selfishly hoarding power and resources that prevented black men from getting jobs, owning businesses, and having greater opportunities in general. As a young impressionable child, The Man seemed like one bad mutha. It took me some time for me to figure out that The Man was the white man.

As humorous and antiquated as this notion may be, it surprises me that The Man still lives in the minds of many black men today. After listening to Barack Obama make his presentation at the Democratic National Convention, which coincided with the 45th anniversary of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, there is a palpable energy, optimism, and pride that I’m sensing in my conversations with other black men. An awakening that’s almost spiritual. A fertile synergy that can produce the seeds of a movement – a black male movement.

While the women’s movement has been legitimized and publicized in the press since their struggles for liberation began, there is a potential – and much needed – black man’s movement that’s underway. Of course the media has not picked up on it because they don’t consider it newsworthy or noteworthy, but conscious black people, especially those who desire and seek financial, mental, and vocational liberation for themselves and their children, are well aware of it.

It’s the effect that Barack Obama’s campaign and legacy will have on black men.

To really understand the magnitude of this effect you have to go back in history to another speech. It was given at a graduating ceremony for Howard University in 1965 by President Lyndon Johnson in the aftermath of John F. Kennedy’s assassination and the passage of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination of all kinds based on race, color, religion, or national origin.

“You do not wipe away the scars of centuries by saying: ‘Now, you are free to go where you want, do as you desire, and choose the leaders you please.’ You do not take a man who for years has been hobbled by chains, liberate him, bring him to the starting line of a race, saying, ‘you are free to compete with all the others,’ and still justly believe you have been completely fair…This is the next and more profound stage of the battle for civil rights. We seek not just freedom but opportunity-not just legal equity but human ability-not just equality as a right and a theory, but equality as a fact and as a result.”

The bill was later amended to cover discrimination on the basis of gender. That amendment largely benefited white women and opened the floodgates for their entry into the workplace.

As more white women migrated into the workplace in 1964, occupying jobs they were “allowed” to have and armed with new legislature and a spirit of liberation that would gain momentum and evolve into the women’s movement, black women would soon follow suit and be deployed in less desirable roles while black men would essentially be displaced; spawning an employment imbalance in the black community where the men consistently have higher rates of unemployment and underemployment than black women.

This statistic holds true to this very day.

When I Juxtapose today’s work environment with yesterday’s, I see that black men still comprise the bulk of the work force that’s relegated to manual labor or undesirable jobs with marginal pay. I searched, but did not find, statistical data on the ethnic composition of the labor force of FedEx and UPS, but through observation, I’m willing to bet they are among the top – if not 1 and 2 – employers of black men, closely followed by any company that provides security (guard) services.

They are all jobs that place physical demands on their employees. Black men have always been used and valued for their physical strength since they stepped (chained) foot into this country. After all this time, we are still more likely to be paid millions for our muscles than our minds.

The Barack Obama Effect will cause the pendulum to swing in the other direction.

In the 60s, gainful employment was denied due to racism, fear, and distrust. Racism is not what leads to unfavorable employment conditions that black men have to overcome, it’s negative perceptions about black men as a group that have proven to be a greater economic and psychological barrier to our success. It’s the internalization of these perceptions that impact us. There’s extensive research that proves how devastating these perceptions can be when internalized by young black males.

According to Dr. Alvin Poussaint, psychiatrist and author of Lay My Burden Down: Unraveling ******* and the Mental Health Crisis among African Americans over the last twenty years, ******* rates among young black males between the ages of 15 and 19 increased 114%. Head coach of the Indianapolis Colts lost his 18 year old son to ******* in 2005 and finally the epidemic caught the media’s attention, albeit for a fleeting moment.

With commonplace scenarios such as fragmented families that are often headed by single mothers, lack of male leadership, negative influences, and continued discrimination in our schools from teachers who do not embrace, nurture, or support young black males as readily as their white peers, it’s no wonder that so many young black males fabricate false bravado and a cool facade to camouflage low self-esteem, and often seeking validation through sports, entertainment and sexual conquests. Even worse, it creates a fixed mindset.

Author Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D., who is widely regarded as one of the world’s leading researchers in the fields of personality, social psychology, and developmental psychology, notes that psychologists know that negative stereotypes and labels are harmful, but they are still discovering just how negative labels harm achievement. She writes in her book Mindset: The New Psychology Of Success, that a fixed mindset limits achievement. It fills people’s mind with interfering thoughts. It makes effort disagreeable, and it leads to inferior learning strategies. What’s more, it makes other people into judges instead of allies.

My father told me at an early age that black men have to work two to three times harder than white men to achieve the same success. We also have to work smarter to be as successful. There are political, psychological, racial, and legal elements at play in every arena that we thrive in. It behooves us to know how to best navigate through situations that pose a threat to our success.

Whether it’s working harder or smarter, extra “work” is inevitable. Dealing with the inertia that stems from apathy in many of our neighborhoods, communities, and homes; dealing with lingering fears and stereotypes, and having to exert constant effort to fit in with white men who don’t feel as comfortable with us or in our presence. Historically, our prosperity as black men has always been tied to our ability to successfully interface with white men.

I imagine that living life as a paraplegic or without one’s sight is probably harder in terms of difficulty and adaptability, but certainly not capability. That’s where the line gets drawn and a new way of thinking can begin. Yes, being a black man is harder for some black men and it certainly has some societal drawbacks, but like those with the aforementioned physical challenges, we must view them as just that; challenges not disabilities, and certainly not handicaps. Being a black man is hard, but being a black man who is president will be inconceivably hard.

What do we find when we delve into Barack Obama’s background? Let’s see:

Barack Obama was born in Honolulu, Hawaii to a Kansas-born mother, Ann Dunham (who is a distant relative of Robert Duvall) and a Kenyan-born father, Barack Hussein Obama Sr., who met while both were attending the University of Hawaii, where his father was enrolled as a foreign student.

His mother and father divorced when he was two and his mother re-married and they relocated to Indonesia. His father attended Harvard, traveled around the world on official business for Kenya and saw Obama only a few times by the time he turned 10, at which point he was sent back to Hawaii to live with his maternal grandparents so that he could attend the highly-regarded non-sectarian private Punahou School where he graduated from.

Obama studied for two years at Occidental College in California before transferring to Columbia University, where he majored in political science with a specialization in international relations. He became a community organizer for a small Chicago church-based group for three years, helping poor South Side residents cope with a wave of plant closings. He then attended Harvard Law School, and in 1990 became the first African-American editor of the Harvard Law Review.

He turned down a prestigious judicial clerkship, choosing instead to practice civil-rights law back in Chicago, representing victims of housing and employment discrimination and working on voting-rights legislation. He also began teaching at the University of Chicago Law School. Eventually he ran as a Democrat for the state senate seat from his district, which included both Hyde Park (where he currently lives) and some of the poorest ghettos on the South Side, and won.

In 2004 Obama was elected to the U.S. Senate as a Democrat, representing Illinois, and gained national attention by giving a rousing and well-received keynote speech at the Democratic National Convention in Boston; won a Grammy for Best Spoken Word for the CD version of his autobiography “Dreams From My Father” (2006); won his second Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for “The Audacity of Hope” (2008); sought the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Presidency (2008).

It’s a brief overview that highlights great accomplishments, but his origins are similar to most black men I know: He came from a single parent household, had a strained relationship with his father, a close relationship with his grandparents, and had to make choices.

Law school, community organizer, civil-rights activist, Grammy award winner, member of the U.S. Senate, Presidential candidate – they are all talent and value based decisions. None of them would be feasible if Barack Obama did not truly believe that these goals were possible and put forth the consistent effort to reach them.

What will happen if Barack Obama gets elected president? What will happen when black men stop blaming the man, and start being The Man? Every door will be open. Every American dream – including being president – can be a reality.

Our view and definition of The Man will finally be flipped; replaced by a positive self-image and greater awareness of the super powers we possess, but seldom activate. We will become more motivated to utilize resources, get better jobs, start successful businesses, and capitalize on opportunities because the leadership and role model that so many of us have lacked, will have emerged in the highest visible position in the country – the presidency.

In short, The Barack Obama Effect will mean that our statute of limitations on excuses will have officially run out. The fixed mindset that has plagued black men for centuries from the aforementioned internalization of negative perceptions will be repaired. The Effect Of Barack Obama will germinate a growth mindset which will benefit black men for centuries to come.

Dweck writes: The growth mindset is based on the belief that your basic qualities are things you can cultivate through your efforts. The growth mindset takes the teeth out of stereotypes and makes people better able to fight back. They don’t believe in permanent inferiority. She also writes: Prejudice is a deeply ingrained societal problem…a growth mindset helps people see prejudice for what it is – someone else’s view of them.

The Barack Obama Effect will inspire little black boys to find the courage to choose the road less traveled and explore the many options available to them. The Barack Obama Effect will motivate the parents of little black boys to instill an authentic, deeply rooted confidence which allows and enables them to have personal and professional lives that are only limited by the boundaries of their imagination and efforts, not lack of opportunities. The Barack Obama Effect will linger because black men and black boys will know that in their hearts and in their minds, they are The Man – the only man – who controls their own thoughts, actions, and destinies.

Higher Taxes on Top Earning Americans

Senator Obama is a big believer in our progressive tax system – and he is not afraid to hide that. So one of the first things Obama is set to do is letting President Bush’s 2001 and 2003 tax cuts to selectively expire. He also advocates increasing the income cap on payroll taxes. This would essentially be a huge tax increase for taxpayers earning between $97,000.00 and $250,000.00, which goes against Obama’s prior commitment to not raise taxes on individuals making less than $250,000.00. Although higher taxes on the rich is a popular thought for many liberals, you cannot expect to only tax the rich and cut taxes for the poor. The American public is not likely to support unbalanced tax increases and this could harm his chances in the general election.

Close Corporate Loop-Holes

Another major component of Obama’s tax plan is to close hundreds of corporate “loop-holes” that allow massive corporations to questionably reduce their tax liability. “Instead of having all of us pay our fair share, we’ve got over $1 trillion worth of loopholes in the corporate tax code,” he claimed. “This isn’t the invisible hand of the market at work. It’s the successful work of special interests.” This plan would be highly efficient at creating new revenue for the federal government, but at what cost? Huge corporations are already moving factories and offices to countries with cheaper labor and more favorable corporate taxes. If the tax rates increase too much, then more corporations would likely move out of the country and it could result in thousands of lost jobs.

Senior Citizen Tax Breaks

Although it seems like an attempt to get the attention of the “senior voters” and the AARP, Obama is hoping to provide relief to millions of seniors struggling to make ends meet. His plan would eliminate federal taxes on seniors making less then $50,000.00 per year, which would account for $7 million dollars in total relief. It seems quite unlikely that the country would get behind this tax plan. I also have my own reservations – what about single mothers making less than $50,000 per year – that I expressed in a previous entry.

Make Work Pay Tax Credit

With his Make Work Pay tax credit, Obama is hoping to encourage Americans to take control of their lives, while providing tax relief to both low and middle income taxes. “I’d reward work by providing an income tax cut of up to $500 per person – or $1,000 for each working family – to offset the payroll tax that they’re already paying,” claimed Obama. “Because this credit would be greater than their income tax bill, my proposal would effectively eliminate all income taxes for 10 million working Americans.”

Capital Gain Tax Increase

Obama’s desire to increase the Capital Gains rate is probably the biggest actual increase of his tax plan. The current tax rate on Capital Gains is 15%, and Obama hopes to raise it to 28%. But although the Capital Gains tax rate is much lower today than it was a decade ago, it is being levied on a lot more people. Investing is not only for the rich, as there are millions of middle income Americans investing in stocks, retirement accounts, and mutual funds. In a time of a looming economic recession, we should be encouraging sound investment and savings strategies. Raising the capital gains rate is not going to do that.

Mortgage Relief for Homeowners

“Ten of the country’s largest mortgage lenders spent $185 million lobbying Washington so they could keep engaging in destructive practices,” claimed Obama. “And they got what they paid for. To help fix this problem Obama wants to create more accountability in the mortgage industry. In addition, he intends to pursue more tax breaks for current homeowners. Specifically, Obama announced intentions to “create a 10 percent universal mortgage credit to provide homeowners who do not itemize tax relief.”

Because it is a credit, individuals claiming the standard deduction would have access to it. Currently, mortgage interest is a deduction that can only be claimed by itemizing your deductions on your tax return. The credit would provide about $500 to 10 million homeowners in this country, mainly for individuals making less than $50,000 per year.

Revamp the AMT

Although Obama voted “nay” on repealing the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT), he does support a revamp of the tax. The specific details of his plan are a bit hazy, but Obama has claimed he would like to index the tax according to inflation so that it does not affect middle-income Americans. However, with dozens of social plans that cost billions of dollars to operate, the idea of reducing a tax that generates so much revenue for the government seems unlikely.

American Opportunity Tax Credit

One of Obama’s more popular tax views is to help make higher education more affordable for Americans by creating a credit to reimburse taxpayers for the costs of obtaining a college education. According to his plan, the credit would reimburse taxpayers on the first $4,000.00 they spend on a college education, and will cover two-thirds of the cost of attending a public college or university.

Immigration Reform and Undocumented Immigrant Taxes

Obama wants to reform the way the federal government deals with undocumented immigrants. Obama’s plan does have tax consequences, as it would not only require illegal aliens to file tax returns and pay income taxes, but would also require them to pay back taxes and the associated penalties and interest. If this idea became reality, it could account for millions of dollars in additional federal revenue. And, by not including tax amnesty in his immigration reform, Obama preemptively “plucks” a feather from the anti-immigration reform movement. It also preemptively stops American citizens from lobbying for similar treatment for their own unfiled tax returns and IRS back taxes.

(New York Times:M.A.Hussain: It was endorsement of Bush’s candidacy by Rev. Pastor Yang burz Home of God Bless America Church of Japan that helped Bush getting elected as president of America. Previously George Bush sought blessing of Rev. Pastor Yang who campaigned for him during his visit to U.S.

This time Rev. Pastor has endorsed candidacy of Senator John McCain who recently sought audience of rev. pastor and begged for his support. It may not be out of place to mention here that rev. Pastor Yang is known for his extreme views on Izlam and is tremendously popular among white Americans particularly with those having right wing leanings.

Recently Rev Pastor Yang addressed a massive gathering in New York City in support of Senator John McCain. Here is the transcript of his speech. Editor)

This is the time to decide your future and the future of your children which is in the hands of American president and depends on how he defeats war on Christians styled as “war on terrorism” and wipes out false religion Izlam from earth. The American century cannot begin unless Izlamic century ends. Muzlimz cannot be defeated unless we take crude oil of Muzlimz in our safe custody. Lest this important resource can come in the hands of Muzlim terrorist.

Let me tell you folks, why you should vote for Senator John McCain who is becoming God’s own president, for whom even Jesus would have voted. He does not owe allegiance to the voters or to the American constitution or to the American people but to the God and Jesus. He shall be responsible alone to them. He is God’s chosen and saved one. Those who vote for him will be saved.

Folks! war on terrorism is a spiritual war, a moral war, a value conflict which could be resolved only violently. This spiritual war should included war on *** marriages, **** and abortion. Never mind if this spiritual offensive requires holy torture of anti Christ terrorists. Senator John McCain understands this well. In retaliation to secular (Satanic) courts in California deciding that homosexuals should have the same rights as the rest of us, Department of Faith under McCain administration will take corrective action and propose emergency amendments to the Constitution. First thing his administration will do is to abolish abortion which is an act of terrorism and a crime against humanity. If you kill an unborn American, God will let Osama bin laden kill you.

Folks you should know that secularists, atheists, Marxists, communists and Muzlimz are fighting a worldwide secular Jihad against Christians in the name of religious freedom. There is probably a higher level of Christians being prosecuted during the last ten years than through out human history. The secularism and multi-culturalism have crippled America for decades. Therefore the war on terrorism should include war against secular Christians, so-called liberal Christians—most of them belong to Democratic Party—and against Muzlimz of all hues and sects. The holy coercion and holy torture might be justified in this case as without this it is impossible to manufacture evidence against anti Christ elements living in America.

Folks do not give credibility to the secular media’s polls which show Obama leading presidential race. Let me assure you that Senator John McCain will win. We expect Osama Bin Laden to strike America during elections that could lead McCain to victory or at least Osama might send a video caste to aljazerra supporting John McCain. Obama has committed a blunder by promising to send troops to Afghanistan to hunt Osma Bin Laden who will defiantly do something in our favour. But we pray to God for the safety of our troops in Iraq, if anything bad happens in Iraq, Obama can take undue advantage of that.

Folks you are worried about global warming, price rise, Katrina, Sept 11, our troops being killed in Iraq and Afghanistan and acts of terrorism against America. You should thank God for all this as these are the signs of God. These are political statements of God. We, Christians, know more about the fate of this planet than any hell-bound scientist. The faster Earth heats up, the more quickly Jesus will return! Senator McCain understands this. He listens to what God speaks. God wants us to tell: Christianize America and whole world, good Christians! and be saved from Osma Bin Laden and global warming. Rest leave everything else to God and church.

History tells us that ****** was God sent; he forced Jews to return to their promised land and helped European Christian to get rid of exclusivist non-white Jews from their land. So is Osam bin laden, God sent for Americans. He is our eye opener. He has changed mind set of Americans for ever. He has authored Patriotic act, introduced wiretapping of American citizens, got us justify torture of suspects and got us increase our security at home. We must thank him for that. Osama helped Americans to be close to God who tells us to wipe out Muzlimz from the face of earth before Iran develops nuclear weapons. Osama lead Churches to develop post-Sept. 11 Christianity. We msut understand that God alone can save us from Osma bin Laden, therefore be close to God. Do not do anything that goes against God’s will. Only protection we could have from terrorists attack is God’s protection. He alone can save us from Osma Bin Laden. Obama does not understand this. He is having pre-Sept 11 mind set.

McCain administration will convert America into a God centered nation whose government promotes prayer, worship and the teaching of the Christian values. It will unite Christians of all countries particularly Western countries, particularly whites and transform U.N.O into U.N.O.C (United Christian Nations Organization).

Folks we cannot Christianize America unless we privatizes democracy. Unless the meetings and deliberations regarding public policy will be held beyond the domain of democracy by the representative of leading front organization of God. Unless everything—sex, taxes, war and price of oil—will be decided upon not according to the principles of democracy and will of the people and dictates the market but according to the scriptures.

Unless we revamp whole educational system and do some curriculum changes instead of *** education and atheism, we should introduce martial arts and spiritualism. McCain administration will establishment Jesus in your educational system. McCain administration will appoints pastor Shirley of Westboro Baptist Church as secretary of Department of Faith for her excellent work in reminding Americans that they should obey God, not the American constitution and its atheistic laws.

McCain administration will continue war on Izlam until Muzlim and Iraqis, Palestine and Afghans stop resisting peace keeping forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, and unless Palestine love Israeli like their leader Mr. Abas loves Israeli Prime Minister olmert. And keep their land and resources at Israeli disposal.

Folks we must understand that Israel is a living wound in the heart of Izlam. McCain administration will do everything to defend Israel. It is necessary if we want second coming of Jesus without further delay. If we want to establish kingdom of American God all over the world. The bible commands us to pray for peace of Jerusalem (psalm 122:6), to speak out for Zion’s sake (Isaiah 62:1), and to be watchmen on the walls of Jerusalem recently erected by Israeli between Gaza and rest of the Israel. (Isaiah 62:6) and to bless the Jewish people inside and outside of America (Isaiah 12:3). These and so many other verses of the bible that have one overriding message—as christens we have a biblical obligation to defend Israel and Jews in their time of need as it is Israel that helps us keep supply of crude oil from Middle of the East . But these verses are a binding until Jesus personally descends over Washington and Arab exhaust their oil resources, after that the bible burning Jews will thrown to dogs or may be burnt alive “once again”. Who cares.

McCain’s Iraq war strategy is very simple. If Sunni Iraqis have to live in peace, they need U.S protection from Shia’s and Kurds. If Shia Iraqis have to rule Iraq, they need U.S air support and F16 bombers to eliminate Sunni insurgents. If U.S troops leave Iraq, Sunnis and Shaias will cut each others throat. This will put lives of U.S Iraqi friends(having American citizenship) in danger. And they will once again take shelter in U.S. The Iraqi crude oil will come in the hands of Alqaida terrorists.

Let me tell you McCain will not take sides in this civil war. American troops will kill all whether Shia’s, Sunni’s or Kurds who so ever resists U.S peace keeping troops. McCain administration has to protect lives and interests of Iraqi friends who risked their lives and worked with U.S, day and night to destroy Saddam’s Iraq while living in US as refugees. America must not betray them, they alone can save Iraq from wrath of American troops. Obama does not understand this.

Folks let me tell you that throughout history, we, Christians have usually been on the wrong side of government. The Roman Empire tortured Jesus Christ to death, then criminalized his friends. Later regimes continued that tradition. They routinely hunted down, imprisoned, tortured, and slaughtered people who clung to their Lord instead of the law. Something like 70 million Christians has died for their faith since AD 33. But never mind, vote for Senator John McCain. Do not miss this chance of being on the right side.

It is regrettable that Christians suffered the same tortures and death at the hands of “Christian” rulers as they had from anti-Christ, for acknowledging the pope, refusing to acknowledge the pope, baptizing adults instead of babies, baptizing babies instead of adults, etc. But McCain is a true Christian and a Jesus lover. He will not use Patriotic act to harass American Christians. That is the promise I have taken from him.

When Obama says that Christianity means love, physical force. He says a true Christian will never kill or subjugate anyone– because it is not what Jesus did. Obama preaches pre-Sept 11 Christianity. As partners in governance, McCain will enhance faith based funding. Churches should not worry themselves as this money is taken from people via taxation. Churches should support a war in Iraq that has killed tens of thousands and put civilians – including Iraq’s brave but tiny Christian community – in great tribulation. It is a good thing that no American church prays for Iraqis as they endure the persecution, poverty, and pain this war has inflicted. Instead seek blessing for our troops.

Lastly I appeal to all American to donate money to God Bless America Church, ours is not a social club. We actively take part in politics and cultural activity. health and education. We are engaged in Christianizing whole world including America and criminalizing, ostracizing and demonizing everything what we perceive to be anti Christ like Izlam and Muzlimz, homosexuals, secularists, atheists, communists and Godless democracy. This is a battle between the forces of righteousness and the hordes of hell. Millions of souls weigh in the balance and our church stands at the critical crossroads of history. God bless you all.