Does This Cain Really Believe He Is Able?

Herman, Herman, Herman ... Why did you have to go here?

The video above shows that the man is in love with himself and delusional.

It seems that some of our friends to the right of the political middle feel as if they may have found their great black hope, and his name is Herman Cain. Frankly, I've largely tried to give this man Cain the benefit of the doubt as he has shoehorned his way into the media spotlight largely through his willingness to takes shots at President Barack Obama. In all honesty, one good way to find a place in the media spotlight is as a black politician or pundit who is willing to verbally attack President Obama (Lloyd Marcus, Jesse Lee Peterson, Michael Steele, etc.).

This all brings me to some comments that Cain made at a tea party (yes, there was at least one black man at a tea party) event in Florida.

Here is what Cain had to say:

"The liberal mainstream media, notice how they have tried to destroy Sarah Palin. Notice how the more popular Michele Bachmann gets, the more they try to destroy her. You want to know why they go after those two ladies more viciously? Because they know that Michele Bachmann or Sarah Palin is going to draw a lot of the women vote away from the Democrat Party."

Bachmann and Palin have done (and continue to do) more to destroy themselves then the so-called mainstream media could ever do. I am not a woman, but I have a hard time seeing many independent or left-wing women gravitating to Bachmann or Palin ... just saying.

But, that is just the beginning of what Cain had to say. It is interesting to see how far we've come in society when some people are seeking out a great black hope.

More from Cain:

"They are scared to death of that, if they were to run and get the nomination. They are doubly scared that a real black man might run against Barack Obama."

Is he, of all people, trying to say Barack Obama is not a real black man? Negro, please.

Does Cain really think he is that real black man? As they say on ESPN, "Come on, man."

Real Clear Politics:
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2011/03/31/herman_cain_media_scared_that_a_real_black_man_may_run_against_obama.html

UPDATE: "Cain spokeswoman Ellen Carmichael told POLITICO that Cain's race remarks had nothing to do with him challenging Obama's racial origin. "'He was referring to himself in the first person,'" she said. "'He was saying that there could be a general election with two black men.'"

Bill From NC: C-Span Has Too Many Black Callers!

Although this took place last week, the level of ignorance by a C-Span viewer was such that I couldn't let it pass. During the March 29 edition of the C-Span program Washington Journal, a Republican viewer (Bill) called in to voice his complaint about the number of blacks who called into the Republican and Independent lines. The program usually has four call-in phone numbers available for viewers who wish to comment, one each for Republicans, Democrats, Independents and one for those calling outside of the U.S. The You Tube clip below contains the segment where Bill voiced his complaint (it took place at approx. the 29 minute mark). You can click the following link to listen to the entire program.

Bill must have been referring to previous editions of The Washington Journal, because none of the callers preceding him identified their race (nor should they have to). It also wasn't definite that any of the callers he thought were Black falsely identified themselves as Republican or Independent. It sounds like Bill has a problem with the number of Blacks calling into the show. He is also making a false assumption about Independents. Apparently Bill feels that you can't be an Independent and support President Obama.

After listening to all of the callers who preceded Bill, I couldn't without a doubt identify the race of any of them. Maybe Bill took an advanced course on identifying the race of individuals based solely on their voice. He might be shocked to learn the race of either Henry Cho or Ron Christie if he saw them after first hearing them speak. My favorite line was when Bill suggested that if C-Span continues with its preference for callers of the Ebony variety, they should change their name to Black Span. The "C" in C-Span apparently stands for "Caucasian"... who knew?!

As for the way the host (Bill Scanlan) handled the call by Bill from NC, I'm going to give him a partial pass. It's not easy to know how to react when confronted live on-the-air with a caller like Bill. However, I wish that Scanlan had asked some follow-up questions:

1. How do you know for sure the race of the callers?

2. What do you mean by "every one of them"? Are you saying that all Blacks view Obama as Jesus Christ?

3. In regards to the people who directed criticism at George W. Bush, who do you mean by "they"?

I will give credit to Scanlan for letting Bill speak. As ignorant as Bill was, it's good to hear those types of opinions. Because it appeared to some that Scanlan was condoning the views of the caller, Susan Swain (Co-Chief Operating Officer of C-SPAN and a host of The Washington Journal) did some damage control a few days later:



As for Bill's question about what can be done to cut down on the number of Black callers, I hear that C-Span is working on intensifying their screening techniques...

C-Span screener to caller: Say the word "brother"

Caller: "Brotha"

C-Span screener to caller: I'm sorry, but we've received our quota of Black callers today. Please try again at a later date.

Blacker Than Obama?

The other day, ousted Illinois Governor and media whore, Rod Blagojevich made a statement insinuating that he was “blacker than Barack Obama” because he shined shoes, grew up in a five-room apartment and his father owned a laundromat in a black community. Being from Illinois, I’m no stranger to Blago’s usual inane statements, but this one had me shaking my head and wondering aloud “What you talking about, Willis, errrr Rod? What the bleeping bleep would possess you to say something as bleeping stupid as that?”

Besides, everyone knows that owning a laundromat would only make you more Asian, not more black! Silly, silly, Rod!

My first thought was that if Rod Blagojevich was any race in particular, he certainly wasn’t black. In fact, he might even be “whiter than me.” Rod Blagojevich’s “five room apartment” was on the northwest side of Chicago, not far from where I was raised, but let me just say this...a 1 bedroom, 1 bath apartment in that particular neighborhood is currently listed for $1,950.00 a month. I couldn’t afford to live in that area. The Blagojevich Family currently resides in the Ravenswood Manor neighborhood of Chicago, also way above my means and I’m not certain anyone would consider that neighborhood “diverse”. If race could actually be measured, I was still left wondering what would lead Blago to think he is “blacker” than anyone, when he is, most definitely, a white guy.

It occurred to me that he was actually only comparing himself to Obama. I did some quick internet research and found some sad and startling information that might just lead someone as “out there” as Blagojevich to make such a claim. Could it be true, though? Could Blago really be “blacker” than Barack Obama? Let’s see.

I found studies online indicating the following:

Blacks are six times more likely to be imprisoned than are Caucasians. No further explanation necessary. OK, score one for Rod.

Blacks are twice as likely as their white counterparts to be unemployed. Barack Obama is indeed employed. Rod Blagojevich? Not so much, unless you count sending your wife to the Costa Rican jungle to be ravaged by bugs and a Baldwin brother as a source of income. I don’t think most people would. Current Score: Rod 2, Obama 0.

Statistically, blacks earn less money than whites. Rod Blagojevich and his wife earned $219,790 in 2007. The Obama’s household income for the same year was $4.2 million. I have to give this round to Rod, too, although, my household income was roughly a third of Blago’s, thereby validating my theory that he is more white than me. Rod 3, Obama, 0.

Blacks are portrayed in the media using profanity far more often than Caucasian characters. A study was done of movies in 1996 and it showed that the percentage of black characters that used vulgar profanity was 86% compared to 11% by white characters. I’m pretty sure I heard Obama (deservedly) call Kanye West a jackass once, but that’s about the only time I remember hearing him cuss. Bleepin’ Blago on the other hand is probably (insert expletive) incapable of uttering a single bleeping sentence without an (insert expletive) expletive in it. Score 4 for Rod.

Drs. Abigail and Stephan Thernstrom published a book called “No Excuses: Closing the Racial Gap in Learning” which states that “the education whites receive is nothing to write home about, but for blacks, it’s no less than a disgraceful disaster.” Black high school graduates perform a little worse than white eighth-graders in both reading and US History, and a lot worse in math and geography. Barack Obama is a graduate of Harvard Law School, which is ranked only behind Yale’s School of Law. Blagojevich also has a law degree, but from Pepperdine University, currently ranked 55th in the nation’s law schools. I don’t know much about Pepperdine University, but the campus must be a geographical challenge because Blago himself admits he “barely knew where the law library was,” (you know, because of all the surfing and movie stars) and yet, he graduated. I have to give this round to Rod, too.

So, is Rod correct? Is he “blacker than Obama”? Ummmm, no, and he will never be because Obama is black. No one can truly comprehend what it’s like to walk in anyone else’s shoes. I don’t pretend to comprehend the discrimination that African Americans deal with on a probable daily basis and Rod Blagojevich (who’s whiter than me) shouldn’t either. If there’s anything positive to be said about stupidity and ignorant comments, then Rod’s inspired me to look up some of these things and, hopefully, jump start a discussion about them.

What do you think about the results of the studies I found on the internet and how can we all go about changing them?

Over 30 and Counting

It appears that Glenn Beck's comments in which he called President Obama a racist have caused some concerns on Madison Avenue. To date, over 30 companies have directed that their commercials not run on Beck's Fox program. Below is a partial list of the companies that have pulled out:

Progressive Insurance
Walmart
Proctor & Gamble
Best Buy
CVS Caremark
Sprint
Clorox
GEICO


When I received a forwarded email earlier this month from a dear family friend about the actions the organization Color of Change was taking to urge advertisers to pull their commercials from Beck's show, I was down for the cause without a pause. I am all for constructive political debate, but the fear mongering/race baiting antics of Glenn Beck only serve to further fracture our country along racial lines.

One of my favorite bloggers (Field Negro) wrote an outstanding post about the Glenn Beck vs. Color of Change showdown and how Beck and some of his fans are fighting back. No matter what side of the fence you stand on in regards to Beck, I hope you make an effort to check out Field Negro's post and share your thoughts on the matter.

Happy Birthday President Barack Obama

Happy 48th birthday to our 44th President of the United States. Since this is just a simple birthday post, those who like to sharpen their daggers at the mere mention of the name President Barack Obama can keep pushing and save their digs for another post.

Fox News Pundit Glenn Beck Calls President Obama A Racist

During an appearance Tuesday morning on Fox and Friends in which the topic was the "beer summit" scheduled to take place on Thursday, July 30th at the White House, Glenn Beck called President Obama a racist. The tired old right-wing talking point about the Rev. Wright and Obama's criticism of the police were two of the reasons Beck listed for why he feels the way he does about the president. As I said in my previous post about the Henry Louis Gates incident, Obama's criticism of the police wasn't race related. It would be different if he called Sgt. James Crowley a "stupid, white cop". Unfortunately, Beck and several others jumped on the "stupidly" remark and are automatically assuming that the reason for Obama using the term is because Gates is black and Crowley is white.

I do give credit to Fox and Friends co-host Brian Kilmeade because he did call Beck out for his nonsensical theories. I wonder if Glenn listens to himself when he speaks because when Kilmeade defended Obama, Glenn said that he's not saying that President Obama doesn't like white people... then he turns around and calls Obama a racist again!

There has been speculation that Glenn Beck is nothing more than the Fox News Channel's version of Stephen Colbert, meaning that his on-air persona is a character spouting off things that the "real" Glenn Beck couldn't possibly believe. When I've watched Beck in the past, sometimes I wasn't sure if he was for a real or if it was all a joke. After viewing his recent appearance on Fox and Friends, I'm convinced that he does believe what he says. If I am wrong, Glenn needs to take his show to Comedy Central and let everyone in on the joke because his recent comments about President Obama are irresponsible and potentially dangerous.

Below is a clip of Glenn making his comments about President Obama on Fox and Friends:

President Obama Weighs In On the Henry Louis Gates Incident

When Barack Obama was inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States, some pointed to this as proof that racism in America no longer exists. Tell that to Harvard professor/author Henry Louis Gates, Jr. As you probably know, Gates was arrested in his Cambridge, MA home last week on charges of disorderly conduct. The charges have since been dropped. If you aren't familiar with the story, you can read it here.

I was surprised to see the man (President Obama) who caused some to say that racism ceased to exist in America be asked about the Henry Louis Gates incident during his press conference on Wednesday night. I give props to the president for not sidestepping our country's history of racial profiling when it comes to African-Americans and Latinos. He has already touched off a firestorm by saying during his answer to the question about the Gates incident that "the Cambridge police acted stupidly in arresting somebody when there was already proof that they were in their own home". Some of those pissed off about the comments don't need much reason to get riled up when it comes to President Obama. Just the fact that a black man is president is reason enough for them. The way I'm reading President Obama's comments, he wasn't saying that the police reacted based on race and that therefore their actions were stupid. He said they were stupid for arresting a man who showed ID in his own house. I feel he would have said the same thing regardless of Gates' race.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Whether race played a factor in the arrest of Henry Louis Gates is something that's up for debate. As unfortunate as this incident is, it has brought the subject of racial profiling back to the national spotlight. It's even caused Gates to announce his plans to make a PBS documentary about racial profiling.

What are your thoughts on the Henry Louis Gates incident and President Obama's comments about it?

Racist E-Mail: Sent to the "Wrong People"

Remember the old adage, you are only as good as the company you keep? Now I have to question the veracity of Tenesssee State Senator Diana Black, whose administrative assistant an e-mail on May 28 with the title "Historical Keepsake Photo". The e-mail featured a a collage containing the portraits of all 44 U.S. presidents with an image of President Barack Obama in the last square as two cartoonish white eyes peering from a black background. The e-mail, which was sent to other GOP staff members, was posted on the Internet on Monday.

Sherri Goforth, an administrative assistant in questions excuse was that she mistakenly sent it "to the wrong list of people". DUH! Gorforth was apparently "reprimanded" but according to Black, will not receive further punishment... unless of course she accidentally sends another racist e-mail "to the wrong list of people." Should Ms. Goforth be fired?

The Attacks On Sonia Sotomayor By the Right: Make the Bad People Stop!

When President Barack Obama nominated Sonia Sotomayor to the U.S. Supreme Court, I knew that members of the right would go on the attack. Still, even I was a little surprised (although I shouldn't have been) at the depth that some have stooped to in their criticism. It's like they are hell bent on taking part in a political version of "The Limbo Rock". Below are just a few of the choice nuggets directed at Sotomayor by members of the right:

* If you belong to an organization called La Raza, in this case, which is, from my point of view anyway, nothing more than a Latino — it’s a counterpart — a Latino KKK without the hoods or the nooses. If you belong to something like that in a way that’s going to convince me and a lot of other people that it’s got nothing to do with race. Even though the logo of La Raza is “All for the race. Nothing for the rest.” What does that tell you?- former Congressman Tom Tancredo during an appearance on CNN.

* Let's hope that the key conferences aren't when she's menstruating or something, or just before she's going to menstruate. That would really be bad. Lord knows what we would get then- G. Gordon Liddy on his radio program

* "They're just like, 'Hey!' Hispanic chick lady. You're empathetic?' She says 'Yup!' They say, you're in'" "That's the way it really works."- Glenn Beck on his radio program

I could go into Ronco commercial mode and say, "but wait, there's more!", but you get the idea.

The hypocrisy, false information, and nastiness by members of the right is disgusting. Regarding Tancredo's comments, he's wrong on all counts. Not only did he get their name wrong (they go by either the National Council of La Raza or NCLR), but they also aren't anything like the KKK. Furthermore, Tancredo misrepresented their "logo". On the NCLR website is an open letter to the public which states that "we are an American institution committed to strengthening this great nation by promoting the advancement of Latino families." Ironically, while Tancredo has denounced Sotomayor, Marcus Epstein still serves as the executive director of Team America PAC (the political action committee founded by Tancredo). As some of you may know, Epstein recently pled guilty to a 2007 incident in which he karate chopped a black woman in the head while also directing a racial slur at her. As for G. Gordon Liddy, before he made the menstrual remarks, he accused Sotomayor of making several racist comments and mistakenly said that "La Raza" means "the race". According to the NCLR website's FAQ page, the term “La Raza” has its origins in early 20th century Latin American literature and translates into English most closely as “the people,” or, according to some scholars, “the Hispanic people of the New World.” Oh and by the way, in the same segment where Liddy accuses Sotomayor of making racist comments, he referred to the Spanish language as "illegal alien". You just can't make this stuff up!

Let's not forget (how can we?) the 2001 Berkeley law lecture in which Sotomayor made the now infamous statement "Second, I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life." The way I read that sentence, Sotomayor was not referring to all white men, only those who didn't have experiences similar to a wise Latina woman. Of course, some members of the right took that one sentence and distorted it so that Sotomayor would come out in the worst possible light. What they failed to comment on was that Sotomayor followed up the "wise Latina" sentence with this:

Let us not forget that wise men like Oliver Wendell Holmes and Justice Cardozo voted on cases which upheld both sex and race discrimination in our society. Until 1972, no Supreme Court case ever upheld the claim of a woman in a gender discrimination case. I, like Professor Carter, believe that we should not be so myopic as to believe that others of different experiences or backgrounds are incapable of understanding the values and needs of people from a different group. Many are so capable. As Judge Cedarbaum pointed out to me, nine white men on the Supreme Court in the past have done so on many occasions and on many issues including Brown.

You can read the text of the lecture in its entirety by clicking here.

The outrage that some Republicans have over Sotomayor's empathy and what role it might play in her decisions on the bench has also provided unintentional humor. Amazingly, Republicans didn't seem to have a problem when Justice Samuel Alito (who was nominated/appointed by then President George W. Bush ) made the following statements during his confirmation hearing in 2006:

But when I look at those cases, I have to say to myself, and I do say to myself, "You know, this could be your grandfather, this could be your grandmother. They were not citizens at one time, and they were people who came to this country."

When I get a case about discrimination, I have to think about people in my own family who suffered discrimination because of their ethnic background or because of religion or because of gender. And I do take that into account.

Those statements by Alito sound empathetic to me and I have no issue with a judge who has that trait. People have to realize that judges are people too, not robots cranked out on an assembly line.

Just like any Supreme Court nominee, Sonia Sotomayor should go through a thorough nomination process. If, during the confirmation hearings, the Senate Judiciary Committee asks Sotomayor to clarify the comments she made in her 2001 Berkeley law lecture (even though it shouldn't be necessary) or about the case involving the New Haven city firefighters, I think that's fair game. For the Republicans who continue aiming below the belt with their criticism of Sotomayor, they run the risk of alienating not only Hispanics (the largest ethnic minority in the country) and women, but anyone else tired of the lies and hypocrisy by some members of the right. Recent polls show that barely 20% self-identify themselves as Republicans, the lowest number in over 25 years. With tactics such as the down and dirty attacks on Sonia Sotomayor, their ranks will likely continue to shrink. If the Republicans are not careful, they will have to rename themselves the Salingers because they will literally be a "Party of Five".

I'm Offended That I'm Offended

There are times that I feel like a poor excuse for a strong black person because I'm not legitimately offended enough to get upset about some things, I'm just offended that I have to spend time being offended! Today's controversy provides a perfect example: the Sean Delonas political cartoon published in yesterday's New York Post.

The creator of this cartoon is trying to make light of an incident this week in Connecticut involving an enraged pet chimpanzee that had to be killed by the police after going on a wild rampage. The instant conclusion I'd draw from this weak attempt at humor is that it's clear that "a monkey could do the job" of creating the Stimulus Bill, maybe even the "monkey" that was shot dead this week, and now that he's been unexpectedly snuffed out they'll have to find someone else to do his job. The association between the chimp shooting and Washington is not clear, nor is any association between any human being and the Stimulus Bill. So this cartoon becomes a real knee-slapper for everyone from the owner of the pet monkey dealing with her loss, to animal rights advocates offended that the police shot the chimp, to the Americans depending on the Stimulus, to...black people.

If anyone is really listening, can I make something clear once and for all? Any similarities drawn between a black person and a monkey are just - for lack of a better phrase - played out. That disgusting banana in the tailpipe of stereotypes is older than American history itself and even if it's not done on purpose it's something that no black person wants to see. It's trite, tired, and a surefire way to piss us off. Col Allen, editor-in-chief of The New York Post, a paper that's not exactly known for its thought-provoking content, is either off of his game or an intentional agitator. It's not really worth attempting to demonstrate the latter, so I can't help but accept the former. As an experienced professional seeking to attract as wide an audience as possible, the smart thing to do is to reject any images linking black people to apes, Chinese people with Laundry, Jewish people with skin-flint ways, or Arabs with terrorism. Why not just show a lazy Mexican dude with a sombrero on, dancing around to "La Cucaracha" and drinking tequila? That ugliness is only 50% of the way towards how deeply negative black America's relationship is with monkeys; in case you haven't heard, people do find that offensive, in fact consistently so over the past, say, THREE HUNDRED YEARS. Confusion around this concept needs to end.

What America needs to get is that this kind of thing doesn't actually upset most black folks in the way that many believe. There have been times that I've felt emotionally wounded and discouraged by racism but this is not one of those times. Black Americashould be upset because our sensibilities are not even being considered for one moment when an editor decides to run a cartoon even halfway depicting a black person as a chimpanzee. I doubt that Delonas was aiming for an "Obama is a monkey" joke. He has a history of ignorant cartoons that he defends with a "what, me worry?" shrug, but even a racist would zero in on the joke better by clearly making that chimp Obama-like. We also all know that Obama didn't actually write the Stimulus plan, which has many authors, not a single one. These facts considered, Delonas is just corny and we all know that. What I find irritating is the lack of care shown for my participation in political discourse. Knowing that as soon as you draw even the flimsiest parallel between a black person and an ape those inflammatory images strike a deeply repulsive chord and just lock us out. I'm offended that my sensibilities aren't even being bothered with or considered, especially with such obvious images, and further offended that I have to be bothered. At its mildest, it's as if I went to an event as a vegetarian and every single dish served had meat in it. By not considering my sensibilities as a black American, it is impossible to reach a common point where issues that are important, like the Stimulus bill itself, can be discussed with cool heads.

Which brings me to how black America shold be responding to this type of nonsense: Enough of us have hearts of stone and black pride that takes a deeper cut to slice than this, so a little rag like The Post isn't going to change much about the continued involvement of black Americans in political life. Thanks to my tendency to eschew political correctness in favor of open discourse and a funny bone that needs more than a crudely drawn, simplistic cartoon to get me giggling, Delonas' work barely affects me at all. I'm a fan of the cliche "a monkey could do that job," but when that monkey is being gunned down by a pair of stunned NYPD officers and linked even in passing to our black president, I have to cry foul but remember not to do so too hard. Certain sensitivities are long past their expiration date, and it's time for black America to get past them and focus on the real problems. There is always going to be some lame underachiever taking digs, some journalist who stinks at his job, or some legitimate racist who twists the discussion. With a black president in office we can't afford to suspect foul play at every turn of the river because the people who want us to be voiceless are counting on us to spend the time and energy it takes to be offended and running in circles protesting instead of staying on course. I'm sure most of the same people who are offended by this cartoon today don't even understand the contents of the Stimulus Bill that was signed yesterday . . . do you? That is what we need to be worried about.

A Thunderous Silence

I feel like I'm on a high that I don't want to come down from. Ever since the inauguration I've felt like this. I find myself just grinning for no reason at all.

I was lucky that I didn't go into work on Tuesday until 1:00 so I was able to see Mr. Obama be sworn in as the President. There are few moments on television that effected me as much as that one did. The last time I can recall being that overcome with emotion from watching events on TV was on 9/11. I was off that day and getting ready to go out when a friend called me that morning and told me to put the TV on. I did, just in time to watch the plane hit the second tower. I sat down on the couch in a fog, watching the scenes unfurl on the screen for the new few hours, unable to tear myself away.

Thankfully this time the emotion were the polar opposite of what I was feeling that day. I sat transfixed watching the cameras pan the crowd of everyday Americans, black and white, men and women, gay and straight, stand out in the cold so they could partake as history was made that day. People were overcome with joy, some openly weeping as they stood there.

Watching Aretha, with that wonderful hat only Aretha would have worn, walk up to the mike and sing those words, as we all mouthed those words that we all now so well. That day we were all Americans, united together.

I admit to tears in my eyes as I watched Barack Obama took the oath of office. It was a great feeling, like Christmas morning when you're a kid and wake up to find the tree circled in presents. I was proud of my country and what we were doing that day.

Than after the swearing in I had to get ready to go to work. I went in, expecting everyone would be talking about what had happened that day. I was greeted with silence on the subject. No one brought it up unless I mentioned it first.

I live in a state where only 11% of white men voted for Barack Obama. It was the lowest percentage in the country.

I work at a place where not one other white man that I know of voted for Barack Obama. And I'm pretty sure I would have known if there was another one there because I was pretty vocal in my support of Mr. Obama. Everyone knew where I stood. I can guarantee my car was the only one in the parking lot that bore an Obama bumper sticker.

I was hoping someone would talk about it. Someone mention it. Someone realize that even though they didn't vote for him history had been made regardless that day. And that even though they didn't vote for him they hoped he would succeed and do a good job. But nothing.

I can't recall one person bringing up the inauguration to me that day. I talked about it. I couldn't not talk about it. How many times in a lifetime do we witness a day unlike any other? But I couldn't pull more than a few words from anyone about it. All I was left with was a thunderous silence.