Friday, August 12, 2011

Bumper Stickers Get You Thinking

Passing the time of day reading bumper stickers while waiting for traffic lights to change, or, when stuck in slow traffic, is sometimes more than just "passing the time of day". It can be educational. Sometimes you see something that makes a person want to learn more, because after all, bumper stickers don't have enough room to fill in the whole story. One such piece of interesting wording found on a bumper sticker that I observed recently was "OBAMANOS", which got me curious enough to use my Clik2Go Toolbar search feature (download the toolbar at clik2go.ourtoolbar.com).

To my surprise, a BUNCH of results came up in my computer's Foxfire browser. There was a website (shop.cafepress.com) where you could buy stickers and T-Shirts and other materials with Obamanos on them (the search results indicated the designs were unique and they offered fast shipping); there was another website result (obamanossong.com) that talked about a song parady called "Obamanos" (to the tune of "Oh Donna" by Richie Valens); another site called zazzle.com offered bumper stickers; obamanos.us suggested you contact them about their Voting Rights Committee, etc.

I was starting to get the idea that my original assumption, or suspicion, was correct: It might have something to do with President Obama and support by the hispanic community. But, what, exactly did the word mean? Another search result on the same page in my browser led me to an explanation (sort of) indicating what Obamanos means. You can probably guess, although I'm intrigued by the language, I haven't been fortunate enough to have learned Spanish, try as I might.

I learned from following a link to a 2008 Jeannie Ralston's piece at HuffingtonPost.com, that "Obamanos" is a bit of political Spanglish, sometimes seen on bumper stickers in states with large Hispanic populations. The term translates, in essence, not literally, to "let's go Obama."  Kind of what I had thought it might, and, it's nice to again know my inclinations are more often correct than not.

The piece by Jeannie Ralston and the other results and accompanying information and websites indicated that it was a pretty big deal in the 2008 election, and I should have become aware of it, but, I apologize, I just wasn't (that I can recall).

Let's Go Obama: Something that President Barack Obama might heed, now that he's into campaign mode again, for re-election for a second term as President of the United States of America. The first three years has been disappointing to some people who voted for him in 2008. Some promises have not been kept, but, many of them have depended on a Congress that was cooperative, or, in other words, it turns out, is not Republican.

Unfortunately, things didn't work out in President Obama's favor, and, perhaps, to the Country's favor, after voting took place in the last Congressional election, switching the balance of Congressional power to Republicans, who vowed early to "make Obama a one-term president". Their tactic has been to not cooperate in anything that would cause President Obama to look like a winner (apparently, even though, sometimes, it might have been the best thing for the country).

Maybe things will "Change" to a situation that will create more of an air of cooperation in Congress in the next election cycle. It's time to get the Country back on track, to a sense of people elected to Congress actually understanding that they are there for the betterment of the United States, AS A WHOLE, not just for the benefit of supporters of one party or the other! Let's hope the picture in Washington, D.C. changes for the better.

U.S Senator McConnell and United States House Speaker Boehner, or, Somebody, must not have learned Spanish either: "Obamanos" does NOT mean "No to Obama".

Just Saying,

GARY MORGAN


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